Hogwarts - A Homecoming
by Healer Pomfrey
Summary: My Advent's Calendar story for 2012. Set in Harry's seventh Hogwarts year, centred around Harry, Hermione, a jealous Ron and Baby Severus. Completely AU, partly OOC, extremely jealous!Ron, deaging, character death!Voldemort (thus the rating)... not a Christmas story.
1. 1 December

**_Hogwarts - A Homecoming_**  
**_My Advent's Calendar Story 2012_**

**_by Healer Pomfrey_**

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_-  
This story is dedicated to Faye, one of my best online friends and long time readers._

* * *

**December 1**

Harry slowly stepped out of the Pensieve, his thoughts going haywire. _'Oh __Merlin__, how wrong I was both about Snape and Dumbledore,'_ he mused, feeling totally shocked by the knowledge of the Potions Master's memories. Unaware of where he was heading, he suddenly found himself back at the spot, where he had seen Snape dying earlier. He curiously glanced around, wondering what had happened with the professor's body, when a small movement at the other side of the room caught his attention. Instinctively gripping his wand firmly in his right hand, Harry slowly crossed the room, only to stop dead in his tracks at the sight in front of him.

A house-elf, whom Harry could not remember having met before, was frantically moving her hands over a naked infant. _'A baby?_' Harry realised, looking at the scene in disbelief. The elf was wearing the Hogwarts elves' attire. However, when Harry looked at the crest, he noticed that it was slightly different from the usual Hogwarts crest. Instead of being divided into four parts, this crest held five parts, one of them being a pattern, which Harry had seen before. _'That's the symbol, which is decorating the wall in the hospital wing,'_ he realised in surprise and hesitantly spoke up. "Excuse me, who are you, and who's this baby?" he queried, questioningly quirking his eyebrow.

"Master Harry," the elf greeted him, smiling. "I is Misty, Mistress Poppy's personal elf," she introduced herself. "I is also a Healer elf, and I tried to heal Master Severus from the big snake's bite. However, he was so badly injured that he died, before my Healing magic worked and he became alive again as a baby. He is 18 months old. I is not certain if his older self's injuries will have any consequences for him, however, I is sure that he will survive."

"Professor Snape?" Harry mouthed, staring at the baby with a combination of disbelief and relief. "Misty, what are you going to do with him? Will you age him up again?" he asked, excitedly.

"No Master Harry," Misty replied, sadly. "This is not possible. But I thinks that it is a good chance for Master Severus to grow up once again and have a better life. I is just wondering who will be the best to raise him. Mistress Poppy would be a wonderful guardian, but she is a bit old to raise a baby."

Harry let out a long sigh, longingly staring at the baby, who to his shock returned the gaze, looking at him with his big dark eyes. "Misty," he heard himself say, before he even realised what he was doing, "I'd like to raise him, but as long as the war isn't over, I can't take him in. Would it be possible for you or Madam Pomfrey to look after him until I'll be able to do so? I owe him my life, and I'd love to pay back as much as I can by becoming his guardian."

A small smile spread over the elf's face. "Yes, Master Harry, I believe that you'll make a good father for little Master Severus," she replied, gently. "Misty will take the baby with her to the elves' quarters and raise him until the end of the war. Cicero, Master Severus' personal elf, will help me."

_'I hope the war will be over very soon,'_ Harry mused. "Thank you so much, Misty," he said, gratefully, looking at the baby with apprehensiveness and happiness at the same time. He slowly extended his hand to touch the baby's fist, chuckling when small fingers automatically wrapped themselves around his forefinger. "Hello Severus," he whispered, forcing back the tears that threatened to leak from his eyes. "I'm so happy that you're alive, and I want to thank you so much for all that you did for me, even if you don't know what I'm talking about. I hope that I'll be able to properly return the favour once I get rid of Voldemort."

"Very well, Master Harry, I is finished now, and I'll take him with me," Misty said firmly. "I'll keep him safe for you. Please make sure that you'll be safe and come to fetch little Master Severus as soon as possible. Just call Misty at any time."

"Thank you so much, Misty," Harry agreed and observed the elf pop away with the baby that was now wearing a dark blue jump-suit.

_tbc tomorrow..._


	2. 2 December

**Hogwarts - A Homecoming  
Advent's Calendar 201****2****  
by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!_

**December 2 **

Harry had to try hard to direct his thoughts away from Baby Severus and back to the task at hand. _'The sooner I finish off Voldemort, the sooner I can take him in,'_ he thought, pushing back the image of large obsidian eyes in a baby's face.

Fortunately, it was just a few hours, before Harry managed to vanquish Voldemort in front of the badly damaged school. In a daze, he walked over the bricks of the old, magical building, horrified at the number of wounded or even dead students. Everything seemed like an unreal dream. Narcissa Malfoy, who had helped him, Voldemort, who had unexpectedly succumbed easily to Harry's spell, the congratulations from all who had witnessed the scene, before they had hurried to help the injured. _'Entirely my fault,'_ he thought, terrified.

"Thank Merlin Madam Pomfrey evacuated all the younger students," Hermione brought him back to reality, pulling him into a fierce hug.

Before he knew what happened, tears began to leak from his eyes and poured down on the girl's robes. "But these here," he whispered, "they all died or were injured because of me."

"No Harry, because of Voldemort," Hermione said firmly, holding him in a tight embrace.

"True," Ron threw in, who appeared behind Hermione. "Are you coming, Harry? Let's go home to the Burrow and help Mum and Dad re-build it."

"No," Harry replied without even considering the matter. "Hogwarts is destroyed because I was here. Therefore, I'm going to help here. I'll go and look for McGonagall."

"I'll come with you, Harry," Hermione spoke up, wiping a few tears from her cheek. "Ron, your parents are having enough problems and things to mourn about, we're not going to intrude for now."

"Sorry Ron," Harry said, apologetically, inwardly groaning as his best friend stomped off in a way that made clear that he had not understood anything.

"He'll never learn," Hermione mumbled, only for Harry to hear, when they turned around and proceeded to search for their Head of House.

They found the Scottish lioness in the beautiful, round office that had once belonged to Professor Dumbledore, and which had miraculously remained unharmed in the battle. McGonagall was not alone but in a conversation with Amelia Bones.

"I'm sorry, Professor," Hermione apologized, politely. "We didn't want to disturb you. We can wait."

"No dear, come in and let me introduce you to the new Minister of Magic," McGonagall replied, kindly, and motioned the students to take a seat.

"Wow," Harry blurted out, smiling at the witch, who had always been very friendly to him. "Congratulations, Minister."

"Thank you, Mr. Potter," Bones replied, gently returning the smile. "I've only been appointed the Minister, because someone was urgently needed. Maybe another Minister will be elected, when everything has quietened down. I'd like to return the congratulations to you though. Once again you've managed to save the magical world from Voldemort. Well done, Harry."

"I had lots of help," Harry said, dismissively shaking his head. "I'm sorry that Hogwarts got destroyed on the way, and I'd like to help with the renovations." He curiously let his eyes wander around the office. It was void of any decoration, and Harry realised that McGonagall had probably just only banished everything from her predecessor and didn't have the time to make herself comfortable before the Minister's arrival.

McGonagall let out a long sigh. "I appreciate that, Harry, but the castle has to be partly re-built by professionals, which will cost a lot of time and Galleons."

"Money is no problem, Professor. I'll donate all that I have," Harry threw in, urgently.

"Thank you, Harry, but even though I'm afraid that it'll take several months if not longer, before we'll be able to use the castle as a school again," McGonagall continued, sounding very sad. "All students will be sent home for an undefined time."

"But Professor," Hermione protested, "I had to obliviate my parents to make sure they'd remain safe during the war, I don't have anywhere to go. Hogwarts is my home."

"Same here, Professor. Hogwarts has always been my home, and I'm not leaving either," Harry agreed, firmly, noticing in relief that the professor's expression softened some. "Even if you send everyone else home, we're going to stay. Plus there is something else that I need to discuss with you on this matter, but I'd prefer to talk about it later, because it should remain a secret."

The Gryffindor Head cast him a surprised look. "Harry, I fully trust Minister Bones to keep a secret. I know her very well, and having her to be the new Minister of Magic is the best that could have happened to Hogwarts. I really hope that she'll be able to remain in this position for a long time."

"Do you want me to leave, Harry?" Hermione queried.

"No, if you promise to not inform Ron about what I'm going to tell you," Harry replied, noticing an expression of hurt in her face.

"I promise," Hermione said, smiling at the boy.

"I promise as well, Mr. Potter. Is my word enough, or do you need a Witch's oath?"

Seeing that Harry cast her an uncertain look, the Minister raised her wand and said quietly, "I swear on my wand and my magic not to reveal Mr. Potter's secret to anyone."

Nodding contentedly, Harry turned to his Head of House. "Professor, I want to remain at Hogwarts, not only to help, but also because I need to raise a baby, which I don't want to do at a dark place like Grimmauld place."

"A baby?" the three witches enquired, simultaneously, eyeing him in disbelief.

Harry couldn't keep back a small chuckle at the surprised expressions. "Yes, in fact he is already eighteen months old," he slowly began to explain but was interrupted immediately.

"No way," Hermione protested. "You can't have a baby, let alone of such age."

"Mr. Potter, this is not the right time to joke," McGonagall added, disapprovingly.

Harry sighed. "And yet it is true," he replied, before he called Misty.

The small elf appeared in front of him, lightly bowing her head. "Yes Master Harry, do you wish Misty to bring you the boy?"

"Don't bow in front of me, please, and yes, thank you Misty," Harry demanded, inwardly grinning as the three witches' upset expressions once again turned into disbelief.

An instant later, Misty was back and placed the eighteen-month-old into Harry's arm. "Please takes good care of him, Master Harry, and if you ever needs my help, just call Misty," she said kindly and, seeing Harry nod his understanding, silently popped away.

The small boy had woken up by the commotion and turned his gaze to him.

"Hey sweetie," Harry cooed, smiling as he looked into the small face.

"Dada," the baby cheered, happily reaching for his glasses.

_tbc..._

_Thank you all so much for your kind comments. Please note that this story will not only be fluffy but also just a bit evil. Also Ron Weasley will be jealous to the extreme in this story. See you tomorrow!_


	3. 3 December

**Hogwarts - A Homecoming  
Advent's Calendar 201****2****  
by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!_

* * *

**December 3**

"I must be getting old," McGonagall groaned, putting a hand to her forehead in exasperation. "Harry, will you please explain?"

Harry chuckled, gently prying the boy's fingers off his glasses. "Doesn't he resemble someone you all know?" he queried, glancing from one witch to the next in amusement.

"Professor Snape?" Hermione blurted out, curiously taking a step towards her best friend and the baby.

"Yes, it's Sevvy," Harry replied in a soft voice and told the astonished witches what had happened in the Shrieking Shack earlier the same day.

"But Harry... why? He killed Dumbledore," Hermione asked, looking questioningly at the two boys.

"No Mione," Harry said, quietly, shaking his head. "Just before he died, he gave me a small phial with his memories. I watched them here." He gestured to where the Pensieve was. "Everything was different than it seemed. He protected me from everything, even from Dumbledore..."

"I am sorry I failed you so my boy," Dumbledore suddenly spoke up from his portrait behind McGonagall's desk.

Only now did Harry realise that a portrait of Professor Snape had popped into existence right next to Dumbledore's. However, the Potions Master did not show any reaction to the conversation that was taking place in his former office.

"Misty saved him from death, and she appointed me his guardian," Harry continued, sighing. "I'm sorry, but I'll tell you more later. I'm exhausted, and I need to take Sevvy somewhere, where we can live until school starts again. Professor, may we stay in my dormitory in Gryffindor?"

McGonagall and Bones exchanged a look, and Minister Bones rose from her seat. "Minerva, you have lots of work to do. The school needs you, and I merely came to appoint you as Headmistress. I'll leave now. If you ever need my help or anything else, call me right away. Mr. Potter, if you need any help, be it with the guardianship over the little tyke or anything else, feel free to contact me. I'll be there for you."

Harry cast the Minister a surprised look. He had not even thought about something like guardianship matters. "Oh yes please tell me what do I have to do, Minister?"

Bones let out a small chuckle. "I'll send you the guardianship parchments right away, Mr. Potter. You'll just have to think about whether you just want the guardianship or if you'd like to adopt him and fill out the respective parchment. Send it right back to me, personally, so that I can file the matter without provoking questions." With that she stepped into the fireplace and returned to the Ministry.

HP

"I'm glad that you're the Headmistress now, although I'm going to miss you as Head of House," Hermione said, eagerly. "Congratulations Professor."

"Thank you Ms. Granger," McGonagall replied, smiling. "I just wished the circumstances were different, even if I'm very relieved and happy that the war is over, thanks to Harry." She stood from her seat and walked around her desk towards Harry and the baby.

"Of course you may return to Gryffindor," she said, thoughtfully. "The tower seems to be relatively unharmed. However, I'm not sure how comfortable it would be to live in a dormitory with a baby, and it wouldn't seem fair to accommodate you there, while everyone else has to return home." She remained pensive for a moment, before she suggested, "Why don't you take Professor Snape's former quarters in the dungeons for the time being? Even if Severus doesn't remember anything of his former life, he'd surely be comfortable there." She smiled upon looking at the small boy, who had fallen asleep in Harry's arm, contentedly sucking a thumb.

"Excuse me, Professor, but I'd rather not intrude in the professor's private space," Harry stammered, hesitating. "Maybe we should leave his quarters untouched for the time being, until he is bigger and can resume his position as Potions Master, provided that's what he want to do in his new life."

"And if possible, I'd like to be close to them, so I can help Harry raise him," Hermione threw in. "If that's all right with you, Harry?"

"Of course," Harry replied, feeling extremely grateful at the offer. "I'll be happy if I won't be responsible for him just on my own. I don't know anything about babies."

"Very well then," the Headmistress responded, sounding determined. "You can both stay in my guest quarters for the time being. During the next few days, we'll see what has to be done and where you'll be able to help." She led her students through a back door in her office into a small corridor and stopped in front of a door that was guarded by an elder witch. After shortly introducing the students, she strode ahead into a comfortable looking living room, motioning the students to follow her.

Carrying a sleeping Severus, Harry entered the room, curiously glancing around, while McGonagall explained that there were two bedrooms and a bathroom. He absentmindedly listened, staring at the magical window that displayed the grounds in awe.

"Malcolm," the Headmistress called her personal house-elf, who popped up in front of the small group in an instant. "Ms. Granger, Mr. Potter and Sevvy are going to stay here for the time being. Please ask the other elves to help you and add a nursery to these rooms, equipped with everything that they'll need."

"Malcolm will hurry, Mistress Minerva," the elf replied and popped away.

"Please make yourselves comfortable here," McGonagall said, pointing to the group of light brown leather chairs that were placed around a dark oak table. "It'll take a moment before the nursery will be finished. Would you like to have some dinner, Harry? Hermione? You must be famished."

"A bit," Harry agreed, and Hermione nodded.

"Yes please, if possible."

"Of course," McGonagall replied, smiling, and called one of the kitchen elves. "Please prepare dinner for two students and a baby," she instructed the elf, before she excused herself and left the room.

An instant later, dinner popped up on the table, and one of the chairs was exchanged with a high chair for Severus. Harry carefully tried to place the boy into the chair, who woke up, grumpily, at the loss of body warmth and began to wail.

"It's all right, Sevvy, we're going to have dinner," Harry said calmingly, trying to gently force Severus' legs into the chair against the baby's protests.

Hermione leaned over the boy. "Harry," she then spoke up, "I think he stinks. Did by chance anybody show you how to change a nappy?"

Harry cast the girl a horrified look. "Oh no, I didn't even think about such a thing," he said, quietly. Do you know…?" He slowly trailed off as Severus' wail increased in intensity and once again picked up the boy.

"We better call the elf who brought him," Hermione replied, frowning. "Harry, how could you accept such a job without even knowing what to do and how to do it? Severus is a child and not a pet or a plush toy," she began to lecture, only to interrupt herself, when Severus began to kick his little feet in her direction.

"Don't do that, Sevvy," Harry scolded him lightly, before he called Misty who proceeded to patiently instruct them how to care for the baby.

'_Thank Merlin Mione is here with me,'_ he mused, knowing that Hermione would be able to exactly remember how to change a nappy in the morning, even if he did not. _'But of course she had to give me a lecture already in spite of not knowing better than I.'_

However, during the night, Harry came to understand only how correct Hermione's lecture had been.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind reviews!_


	4. 4 December

**Hogwarts - A Homecoming  
Advent's Calendar 201****2****  
by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!_

* * *

**December ****4**

Dinner was a quiet affair, since Hermione and Harry were both exhausted and were contented that Severus happily ate a little bit of everything, which the house-elves had brought for him. Afterwards, they inspected the new nursery and put the boy to bed.

"Shouldn't we give him a bath?" Hermione asked; however, neither of them had the energy to do such a thing.

Instead, Hermione proceeded to read to the child from one of the children's books, which the elves had put on a bookshelf in the nursery. _'The Glibbery Cauldron'_ was a story about a small boy, who gathered magical herbs and brewed a potion in order to heal his limping cat, so that she could play with him again. Severus, who had yet to speak apart from the word "Dada", seemingly enjoyed himself, and when Hermione closed the book, he slowly shut his eyes, once again a small thumb wandering into his mouth.

"Thank Merlin, he's asleep. Let's go to bed, too," Harry whispered, letting out a huge yawn.

Hermione shook her head in annoyance. "Yes Harry, I'm tired too, but first we need to cast a charm on Sevvy, which will alert us when he wakes up or is in distress."

"How?" Harry queried in surprise, quirking an eyebrow.

Sighing, Hermione waved her wand over the crib and mumbled an incantation. Finally letting her wand sink, she informed Harry, "The charm will alert both of us if Sevvy needs us."

Harry profusely thanked the girl, deeming himself incredibly happy to have the most intelligent witch of his year as his best friend, and went to bed, drifting off to sleep before his head even touched the pillow.

HP

To Harry it seemed as if no time had passed, when Hermione's charm alerted him to the fact that Severus needed him. _'Oh no,'_ he inwardly groaned. _'I thought he was going to sleep through the night.'_ He slowly dragged himself to the nursery, where Hermione was just taking Sevvy out of his crib.

"What's wrong, Sevvy?" she cooed, gently cradling the baby close.

The boy immediately stopped crying; however, he still continued to whimper, even when Harry stepped near to him and carefully stroked the baby's hair.

"Maybe he needs a cuddly toy?" he suggested, knowing that Ron was still having a stuffed squirrel in his bed.

"Maybe," Hermione agreed. "Can you make a stuffed cat for him?"

Harry frowned and pointed his wand at a nappy that was lying on the changing table. An instant later, a stuffed cat was sitting on its place. It had black fur and beautiful emerald eyes. Harry pointed his wand at the cat, before he handed it to Severus. "If you rub its belly, the colour of its eyes will change," he explained, noticing contentedly that a small smile played on the boy's lips and the whimpers had stopped.

Busily cuddling his stuffed cat, Sevvy soon fell asleep again, and his two caretakers went back to their own beds in relief. However, too soon the small boy woke up again, crying.

Harry stumbled into the nursery, arriving at the same time as Hermione. He carefully picked the baby from his crib, giving him a sharp look. Again Severus stopped crying but continued to whimper, his face scrunched to a miserable frown.

Harry turned to the girl. "Mione, I've no idea what's wrong," he said, yawning. "Do you think he's hungry?"

"Is your belly empty?" Hermione cooed, carefully tickling the baby's toes.

Severus' lips stretched to a small chuckle, before the boy once again began to whimper.

"Perhaps we have to change his nappy again," Hermione guessed and carried the child to the changing table.

However, when she began to open his jump suit, Severus began to protest vehemently, so that they ruled out this idea quickly. Hermione motioned Harry to wait a moment and left the nursery. A minute later, she returned, carrying a small bottle.

"Here Severus, would you like some warm chocolate?" she queried, holding out the bottle to the boy.

However, Severus shook his head and nestled deeper into Harry's robes, busily cuddling his stuffed cat. _'Oh well, maybe he's tired enough now to sleep again,'_ Harry thought and carefully placed the child back into his crib. This did not go well with Severus though. The boy immediately began to cry again.

"Do you think he could be ill?" Hermione asked, thoughtfully, leaning over the crib to feel the boy's forehead. "Hmm, he feels a bit warm, but I'm not sure. Do you know the spell to check a temperature?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "If you don't know it, how would I?" he replied, shrugging. Pointing his wand at a new nappy, he transfigured it into a magical thermometer. He handed it to Hermione. "Good luck, Mione, but don't ask me how to take the temperature of a baby. Can we stick it into his mouth?"

Hermione frowned. "Probably not," she slowly replied. "He's too small. Can you put him on the changing table once more please?"

Harry obeyed; however, as soon as Hermione tried to open the jumpsuit, explaining that she only quickly wanted to check if he didn't have a fever, Severus began to kick his feet.

"Severus, behave yourself," Harry said sternly, glaring at the child, who again whimpered miserably but at least allowed Harry to check his temperature.

An instant later, green numbers emerged from the other end of the thermometer. "No fever," Harry announced, sighing in relief. "That's at least something." He quickly put a new nappy around the small bum and took the child into his arms.

The two students exchanged a frustrated look. "Maybe it's too dark for him," Hermione guessed. "Should we switch on the torch at the window?"

"I'm going to take him to bed with me," Harry whispered, finding himself unable to stay awake any longer. "Maybe he'll sleep if he's not alone."

"Okay Harry, do that," Hermione agreed, sounding relieved. "Just call me if you need help." Before they separated in front of the nursery, she added, "Be careful not to squash him, when you turn over."

"Hermione," Harry groaned, exasperated, "I'm not heavy enough to squash him. He's not a new born but one and a half years old."

The young witch grinned and returned to her own room. _'I'll just hope Sevvy is going to sleep now,'_ Harry thought, feeling absolutely knackered after his long last day of the war. To his immense relief, Severus fell asleep right away, cuddled into Harry's arm. _'What a day,'_ Harry thought, somehow feeling very happy as he observed the small boy asleep next to him. _'I just hope I'll manage to be a good father to him. He really deserves a much better life than the first time was.'_ Contentedly cradling Sevvy close, he drifted off to a much needed sleep.

However, it was still dark, when Harry was pulled out of his slumber again, feeling Sevvy thrash around, kicking him with his small legs. He reached for his wand and lit the torches that flooded the room with a warm, yellowish light.

"Sevvy, wake up," he whispered, lightly touching the boy's shoulder.

To his relief, the child immediately stopped moving and lazily opened his eyes. However, his face displayed that he was in distress, and he again began to whimper, miserably.

"What happened, Sevvy?" Harry asked quietly, wondering if such a small child was already able to have nightmares. He studied the small face in search for a reply, which came in a very sudden and unexpected way.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind reviews! My muse appreciates them greatly. For those who have missed Ron, he will make his appearance tomorrow._


	5. 5 December

**Hogwarts - A Homecoming  
Advent's Calendar 201****2****  
by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!_

* * *

**December 5**

_ At the Burrow  
_

The same evening at the Burrow passed as normally as it could. _'How can they all be so happy?' _Ron wondered, as he sadly looked at the empty spot next to George, unaware of the fact that he had spoken aloud.

"Ronald," Ginny immediately scolded him. "Why should we not be happy that the war is over that took away the best part of our childhood? Plus I am really enjoying Mum's Shepherd's Pie."

"How can you enjoy the food?" Ron gave back, incredulously. "Have you forgotten Fred already?"

"Ronnykins, Fred wouldn't want us to mourn now, would you, Gred?" George said, grinning broadly, as a silverish figure swept into the room and slid into the spot next to himself.

"Fred!" several members of the family blurted out, simultaneously.

"Hiya," the ghost replied, grinning. "I couldn't leave all the show to my dear twin alone now, could I? Have to be here to see what's going on with the joke shop."

Ron tuned out his family's happy voices, when everyone greeted the twin, whom they had missed so much. _'Of course it's the twins, who are always the centre of attention,'_ he thought, angrily, before his father's voice brought him back to reality.

"Today, Amelia Bones was elected the new Minister," Arthur Weasley announced. "She'll be a much better Minister than all of her predecessors."

"Oh no, Arthur, I'd hoped so much that you'd be given a chance this time," Molly added, disappointment clearly written in her face.

"She'll only be the Minister until a proper election takes place," Percy explained. "I believe that Minister Bones will be brilliant for the position, even if I prefer Dad of course. Personally I am very pleased today, because she promoted me to the Minister's first secretary. The good thing is that I'll be in this position, even after the new permanent Minister is elected."

"Congratulations Percy, that's indeed good news," Molly said warmly. "I'm very happy for you, and I'm sure your father is very proud of you."

"Well done, Percy," her husband agreed.

_'Ah, everyone is happy but me,'_ Ron thought, grimly, angrily pushing away his plate.

"Ron, are you feeling sick?" his mother queried, giving him a sharp look.

"If Ron isn't eating at least three portions..."

"... he must be ill..."

"... or might it be..."

"... because his girlfriend isn't here?" the twins spoke up in their usual way of speaking, which caused everyone to laugh and made Ron furious.

"Oh right, Ron, where are Hermione and Harry?" Molly only now remembered to ask. "You should have brought them with you."

"They didn't want to come," Ron replied, grumpily. "They preferred to remain at Hogwarts."

"At Hogwarts?" Molly repeated, incredulously. "But Professor McGonagall Floo-called me earlier. All students are going to be sent home tomorrow morning for an undetermined time, because the castle is so badly damaged."

"I hope they know that they're always welcome here and you didn't tell Harry anything stupid," Ginny spoke up, frowning. "You aren't jealous of Harry again because it was him that finished off Voldemort, are you?"

"It's always Harry this and Harry that," Ron blurted out. "I'm sure he'll get special permission to remain at Hogwarts anyway."

"Ronald," his father said in a sharp voice. "Now leave Harry in peace. I thought he was your best friend?"

Ron snorted. "If he was my best friend, why didn't he come home with me instead of remaining at Hogwarts together with **my** girlfriend?"

"Ron, don't be stupid," Ginny replied, sounding upset. "Harry is my boyfriend. Oh well, at least he promised to come back to me after the war. He's probably just at Hogwarts together with Hermione, because they both don't have anywhere else to go."

"Ronnykins, it would be better..."

"... if you sent them a letter..."

"... and invited them both to come to the Burrow," the twins instructed him, causing everyone else to nod their consent and change the topic of the conversation.

_'Why should I write to them if I already invited them and they refused?'_ Ron thought, stubbornly, when he went to bed that night, feeling incredibly jealous of his two best friends.

_ At Hogwarts _

Completely in shock, Harry watched the scene, which the small boy sent to him, as soon as their eyes met.

_An adult Severus was running through the dark. 'Merlin help that I won't be too late,' he thought as he made his way into a garden, noticing apprehensively that the entrance door to the house stood open. 'Oh no, I hope he wasn't here yet,' he thought, as he carefully entered through the open door, only to abruptly realise his failure. James Potter was lying dead on the floor. Now terrified, Severus rushed upstairs, noticing that most of the upper floor was destroyed. And there she was. 'Lily,' he uttered, resisting the strong urge to kneel down next to her. 'Who knows if he's still around,' he thought, having the feeling as if the world had come to a sudden end. 'My Lily,' he thought, 'how dare he take her away from me?' Images of their common childhood passed in front of his mind, before he was brought back to reality, when he heard sounds coming from the first floor. 'Still love you, Lily,' he whispered and hurriedly apparated away. _

With that the memory ended, and Harry felt the presence in his mind disappear. He cast the baby next to him a terrified look. "Severus," he whispered, unconsciously reaching out to pull the child close, "do you still have your memories?"

Sevvy did not reply but nestled deep into the warm embrace, sniffling once more, before he closed his eyes and drifted into an exhausted slumber.

_tbc..._

Thank you so much for your kind reviews... more tomorrow!


	6. 6 December

**Hogwarts - A Homecoming  
Advent's Calendar 201****2****  
by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!_

* * *

**December 6**

When Harry woke up a few hours later, he immediately remembered the nightly occurrences. _'How horrible for a baby to have such memories,'_ he thought, terrified. _'I wonder if Sevvy remembers everything of his former life.'_ He slowly turned around; noticing in concern that the small boy's cheeks were deeply flushed and his breathing was shallow. Hesitantly, as not to wake up the child, he touched the boy's forehead, which felt very hot. _'He is ill,'_ he realised, inwardly groaning. _'What am I going to do? Hermione was right. I have no idea what to do with a baby, let alone with a sick one.'_ He sat on the edge of his bed and took a deep breath to calm himself. _'No panic,'_ he thought, _'I'm going to call Madam Pomfrey. She'll be able to help him, maybe she'll even be able to do something about his memories.'_

Not wanting to leave the sick baby alone, he decided to wake up Hermione. However, when he left his room, he saw that the girl was already sitting at the dining table, her head buried in an old tome. Too worried about Severus to even roll his eyes at the sight, he said urgently, "Mione, can you please go and call Madam Pomfrey? Sevvy's sick."

"Oh no, what's wrong?" Hermione queried, already on her way to the door.

"He's burning up," Harry replied and went back to his bedroom, pondering if he should try to cool down the boy's skin or just let him sleep. He decided on the second option and quickly got dressed, right on time, before Hermione returned with the Healer in tow.

"Oh Merlin, he's so cute," Pomfrey whispered. "When I first heard he died..." She trailed off to wipe a tear from her left eye, before she switched into Healer's mode and waved her wand at the baby. "Magical exhaustion," she said then, quirking an eyebrow at Harry. "Mr. Potter, what has he been doing during the night?"

Harry let out a long sigh, before he explained to the two witches what had happened during the night. "Is there anything that we can do about the memories? It won't help him have a better childhood if he remembers everything about Voldemort and his previous life," he finally asked, pleadingly looking at the Healer.

Pomfrey remained quiet for a minute, before she replied, thoughtfully, "Well, he must be a natural Legilimens. Let me call Misty and hear her opinion, but I believe from what she told me that Severus shouldn't have any memories. I know for a fact that the memory, which he showed you, was his worst memory. He never got over the loss of Lily. She was the love of his life, and he always felt guilty for her death." Ignoring the students' collective gasp, she called, "Misty."

Immediately, the diminutive elf popped up in front of the Healer and queried, "Mistress Poppy, what can Misty do for yous?" Hearing the disturbing news from Pomfrey, she said, thoughtfully, "Yes, I believe that Master Severus was only able to access this one memory, because it's an extremely powerful memory in his subconscious. I is relatively certain though that he does not have the complete memories of his former adulthood." A short, pensive silence later, she continued, "I'm afraid that we won't be able to prevent him from seeing this memory, at least not until he'll be older and able to put it into a Pensieve. Occasionally, we may give him a light dose of dreamless sleep potion; however, not more frequently than once in a fortnight at the most."

With that the elf took her leave, and Pomfrey spelled a potion into Severus' stomach, before she proceeded to give Hermione and Harry instructions to let Severus rest as much as possible. "I'll come back to check on him and give him another dose of the potion tonight," she promised.

Just when she reached the door, Severus woke up, letting out a weak wail that made the Healer turn around and smile at the small boy.

"Good morning, Sevvy," she cooed, gently scooping the baby up into her arms. "Do you remember me dear? I am Aunt Poppy."

Severus showed no sign of recognition, but nevertheless the edges of his lips pulled upwards, and he relaxed in the Healer's arm.

Seeing how the Healer smiled at Severus with enthusiasm, Harry suggested, "Madam Pomfrey, would you perhaps like to have breakfast together with us?"

The Healer cast him a surprised look but replied, "Thank you Mr. Potter. That would be very nice, wouldn't it now, Sevvy?"

Severus laughed happily and tried to wriggle his way down to the floor. However, Pomfrey held him in a strong grip. "No Sevvy," she said sternly, "I know that you must feel quite well now, but that's only because I have just given you a potion. You depleted your magic, when you showed Harry your nightmare. Until I tell you otherwise, I don't want you to do any magic, do you understand me?" With that she placed him in the high chair.

Severus gave her a small nod, casting Harry an uncertain look.

"Madam Pomfrey is right, Sevvy. Please listen to her and do exactly as she tells you. She is the one who made you feel all better this morning," Harry explained and was just about to call Malcolm and ask for breakfast, when the witch, who was guarding the guest rooms, announced the Headmistress' arrival.

"Minerva, you're just in time for breakfast," Pomfrey was the first to greet her friend, and seeing Hermione and Harry nod, the Headmistress accepted the invitation.

McGonagall placed a small parchment in front of Harry. "Mr. Potter, I just received this from the Ministry of Magic. It's Severus' birth certificate."

Harry glanced at the parchment that listed him as the father of Severus Harry Potter. As godmothers it stated Minerva McGonagall and Hermione Granger. _'Wow, that's awesome,'_ he thought. _'I just hope Hermione will be all right with it. The Minister didn't even ask her, let alone me.'_

"Minister Bones also informed me that she wishes you to attend a Demise party at the Ministry tomorrow night, where you will be awarded the Order of Merlin first class for the defeat of Voldemort." Seeing that Harry frowned at the revelation, she let out a long sigh and continued, "Harry, I know that you don't like the attention, but please do Minister Bones the favour of attending. I told her that I will accompany you as well as one friend of your choice. If you want to invite Ms. Granger or Mr. Weasley..."

"No," Harry interrupted the professor. "Sorry Mione, but I'd like to take Sevvy with me. If they want me to come, they'll have to accept that I have a son, whom I'm going to take with me everywhere."

"Harry," McGonagall replied in a soft voice, "of course you may bring your son and still one friend of your choice."

"Oh," Harry said, unintelligently. "Uh, Mione, would you like to accompany me?" he then asked, hesitantly.

"I'd love to come," Hermione replied, smiling broadly.

"Very well," McGonagall acknowledged his decision. "Nevertheless I want you to keep in mind that you can always leave Sevvy with Madam Pomfrey or me. We'll always be willing to look after him."

Harry profusely thanked the Headmistress but decided to take Severus with him. _'Ron will be very jealous, when he hears that I'm going to receive the Order of Merlin, which I don't even want,'_ he mused, when he buttered a piece of toast for Sevvy, _'and he'll surely throw a fit when he hears about my son. Maybe I should have asked him to accompany me. On the other hand, Mione is here and helping me with Sevvy, so it makes sense to go there together.'_

"Harry?" Hermione queried, giving him a sharp look. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes of course," Harry replied in confusion, trying to suppress a strange feeling of foreboding, which he could not rationally explain.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind reviews! Have a nice evening. See you tomorrow._


	7. 7 December

**Hogwarts - A Homecoming  
Advent's Calendar 201****2****  
by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!_

* * *

**December 7**

Harry and Hermione decided to spend the whole day in their guest quarters, knowing that Sevvy had to rest. After the small boy had obediently eaten a little breakfast, he spent some time playing with a Lego Hogwarts Express that his father and godmothers transfigured for him from tissues. However, after a while, he became very cranky, and seeing that his cheeks were getting flushed again and he was apparently feeling miserable, Hermione knelt in front of the boy and carefully felt his forehead.

"Sevvy, I think you're not well enough to be up and playing," she said gently. "Let me take you back to your bed."

However, being put into his crib did not go well with Severus, who was feeling cold and miserable and wanted warm body contact. He immediately began to cry, and after a few minutes, his sobs turned into coughs. Hermione and Harry exchanged an exasperated look. "He'll only make himself more ill if he continues crying like that," Hermione said worriedly. "What are we going to do?"

Finally, Harry decided to take Severus back to his own bed, realising that he would not mind some more undisturbed sleep either. To his relief, Sevvy immediately stopped crying, when Harry picked him up, and when they went to bed together, he contentedly nestled in Harry's arm. His left hand was busily cuddling his cat, and the thumb of his right hand wandered into his mouth. A mere minute later, the two wizards were fast asleep.

_ At the Burrow  
_

"Tomorrow night, I have to attend dinner at the Ministry," Percy said, haughtily.

"Why dear? Will there be a special event tomorrow?" Molly Weasley asked, glancing at her husband.

"Yes, the Minister has invited a whole lot of people to celebrate the end of the war. I'll have to be there as well, by the way," Mr. Weasley explained. "Harry is going to receive the Order of Merlin first class."

"Harry?" Ron threw in, suddenly feeling very upset. _'After all that Hermione and I helped him, he gets the Order of Merlin, and we won't get anything. Typical Harry,'_ he thought, angrily. He stood up and stormed from the room. However, by the time he reached his bedroom, he remembered how hungry he was and grudgingly returned to the dinner table.

"Now sit down and don't make such a fuss, Ronald," Percy immediately scolded him, glaring at the younger brother.

"Harry here, Harry there," Ron shouted, "it's always only Harry, who gets everything. Hermione and I did so much, and what do we get? Nothing as usual."

"Ronald, stop this or go to your room," his father said sternly. "Your jealousy of the poor boy is ridiculous."

"Your father is right, Ronnie. Harry is such a nice, cute boy."

Ron wolfed down his dinner, while his thoughts went haywire. _'Sometime I'll get back to him,'_ he mused. _'When school begins again at the latest.'_

_ At Hogwarts  
_

After a day of resting and cuddling with Harry and Hermione, Severus' condition was much improved, and the two students decided to go on a shopping trip to Diagon Alley before their appointment at the Ministry.

When they entered the shop, where they wanted to buy clothes for the child, Harry felt extremely grateful for Hermione's presence, since apart from buying school clothes he had no experience with clothes shopping at all. However, Hermione knew exactly what to buy for Sevvy, and when she was finally finished choosing this and that, there was a huge pile of mostly blue and green clothing on the counter. To his relief, Severus behaved very well and always remained quietly beside Harry. However, when they headed to Madam Malkin's to buy robes for Severus, he protested vehemently.

"No mowe shop," he growled, trying to pull Harry away from the entrance door.

Harry lowered himself so that his eyes were on the same height as Severus' and said firmly, "Severus, yes, we will go into Madam Malkin's shop to buy robes for you. Otherwise I can't take you with me to the Ministry tonight and you'll have to stay at home all on your own. This one more shop and then we'll go to the toy store and you may choose a toy, okay?"

Still pouting Severus let out a small "Kay."

Hermione and Harry could not decide between blue robes, which Hermione found most reasonable, and green robes that Harry somehow liked most, and when Hermione tried to question Severus, the boy showed absolute disinterest in any robes at all. Finally, Madam Malkin promised to charm the robes so that they would grow with the boy for at least five years, and the students agreed with relief to take both.

"Now where're we going now?" Harry asked, jokingly, when they left the shop, two piles of shrunken clothes in their robe pockets.

"Toy stowe," Severus replied, immediately, jumping up and down with excitement.

Hermione and Harry exchanged an amused look; however, when Harry turned into the direction of "Magical Toys", Hermione pulled him back. "No Harry, let's go to the _'Magical Child's Learning Centre'_. I once looked at that shop. They have awesome toys for small, magical children."

"All right," Harry agreed, slightly confused as he never had heard of that shop, and followed Hermione to a small side street off Diagon Alley. From its appearance, it seemed to be a very small shop; however, from inside it was enormous. He led Severus to the left side, where the children could try out several kinds of toys in what seemed to be a playground.

"Harry, do you think you can watch him alone for an hour?" Hermione suddenly whispered. "I'd like to go to the bookshop for a bit."

"Of course, no problem," Harry replied, glancing at his wrist watch. "We still have two hours, before we have to go to the Ministry. Maybe we can take him to Fortescue's when you're back."

Hermione hurried away, and, seeing that Severus was happily playing like all the other children, Harry began to look around with interest. Soon a broom set on a nearby shelf caught his attention, and he stepped over to take a close look. _'First learning broom'_ was written on the set, which consisted of a toddler's toy and snitch as well as a remote control. _'No wand needed'_ was written on the remote, and Harry curiously studied the explanation on the shelf. _'The broom is equipped with all possible safety charms, the Snitch remains in a gripping distance of the broom, and with the remote control parents can safely guide their little wizard or witch, whenever they want.'_ Harry considering buying the set, wondering if he had ever seen the Potions Master fly during his time at Hogwarts. _'Maybe he doesn't like it, but on the other hand, if he learns it at this age and I fly together with him, he'll surely do,'_ he mused and finally decided to buy the set for Severus.

The broom set in his hand, he turned back to the playground, only to realise in shock that Severus was not present anymore. _'Oh no, where is he?'_ he thought, looking around in panic. He frantically began to search the nearby corridors; however, by the time Hermione returned from the bookshop, he still had not found his son.

_tbc..._

_Thank __you so much for your valuable feedback for the previous chapter! Have a good evening. See you tomorrow!_


	8. 8 December

**Hogwarts - A Homecoming  
Advent's Calendar 201****2****  
by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!_

* * *

**December 8**

"Harry," Hermione said, calmly, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "Remember who he is." Seeing that Harry gave her a dumb look, she elaborated, "They'll surely have potions kits for toddlers, and knowing Severus, even if he's still only eighteen months old, I'm certain that we can find him there."

Harry hurried behind his friend to find the shelf with items resolving around potions. _'How can she be so sure?'_ he wondered. _'Severus isn't even two years old, and if Madam Pomfrey and Misty are correct, he won't remember anything about brewing.'_ He stopped dead in his tracks, when Hermione abruptly stopped in front of a shelf and began to laugh.

There he was fast asleep next to a cauldron in the lowest shelf.

Harry let out a relieved sigh and carefully picked up the child, who did not even wake up but unconsciously snuggled into Harry's robes, a contented expression on his face. The two students decided to buy the broom kit, which Harry had been admiring earlier, as well as the most complex potions kit for toddlers that they could find, paid and left the shop.

Later, when they were on their way to the Ministry, still with a sleeping Severus on his arm, Harry asked, "Why does he know about potions? Do you think he still has the memories of his adulthood? Not only the one of his nightmare?"

"No Harry, I wouldn't worry about that," Hermione replied, soothingly. "I believe that he knows potions from his home. His mother Eileen was a famous Potions Mistress as well, and he'll surely have seen her brew often enough, even as a one-year-old, and gained his affinity for the subject."

Just like so often during the last few days, Harry felt extremely relieved to have Hermione at his side. _'What would I do without her? How could I raise Sevvy alone?'_ he suddenly thought, feeling terrified at the idea. He was still deep in thoughts when they reached the Ministry of Magic.

"Harry, are you all right?" Hermione queried, looking at him in concern.

"Ah yes," Harry replied, quickly. "I just hope this party will be over soon. I hate such events."

Hermione chuckled. "Yes, I know, but I think it's really thoughtful of you to attend it, and I'm sure Minister Bones will appreciate it greatly."

HP

Together with Professor McGonagall, the Minister was waiting for the two students in front of the large room, where the demise party was going to take place.

"Tonight, you'll sit at my table," Bones whispered, "not only because you're my special guests, but also to save you from the press. If anyone bothers you, just tell me and the person will be thrown out immediately. There will be a press conference after the party, but it's completely up to you if you'll attend it or not."

"No thank you, Minister," Harry replied, inwardly grinning as he imagined the Minister shooing Rita Skeeter out of the Ministry. However, when he entered the room, he would have preferred to just turn around and leave. There was space for at least three hundred people, and the room quietened immediately when everyone spotted the new Minister.

Smiling at Sevvy, who had woken up but apparently equally preferred to ignore the crowd and look at his new father, Harry quietly followed the three witches to a table in the centre of the room. He inwardly sighed in relief upon noticing that the only other people occupying the same table were Percy Weasley and Andromeda Tonks with her grandson Teddy. _'Oh right, Teddy is about the same age as Sevvy,'_ he suddenly remembered. _'I didn't even think of that, but we could let them play together.'_

As soon, as Professor McGonagall, Hermione, Harry and Sevvy had taken their seats, Minister Bones began to speak. She explained shortly that everyone had been invited to celebrate Voldemort's demise and that she was extremely happy to award the Order of Merlin first class to Harry Potter.

Under huge applause, Harry accepted the Order and was just about to sit down again, when someone shouted, "Introduce yourself. And who's the baby?"

Harry straightened himself, inwardly groaning, before a sudden idea crossed his mind. "Thank you," he said for everyone to hear. "Thank you all for helping me to win this war. I especially want to thank my friend Hermione, who is accompanying me tonight..." He waited until the applause died down, before he continued, "as well as Ron Weasley and Professor Snape, who unfortunately cannot be here with us." Glancing down at Sevvy, he added, "Also accompanying me tonight is my son Severus Potter. I'm glad that he'll be able to grow up in a better world than the one of my own childhood."

"A child? I thought he was still a Hogwarts student," he heard out of the mumbling that followed his little speech.

"Please remain quiet until Mr. Potter is finished speaking," Percy Weasley unexpectedly came to his help.

Harry cast the older Weasley boy a grateful look and continued, ignoring any questions, "Once more I need all your help."

The room became absolutely quiet again, and he explained, "The Order of Merlin is endowed with a certain amount of money, which will be spent for the repair of Hogwarts. However, we need specialists, who are able to do the work that is required. If you're capable and willing of helping, please contact Minister Bones or Headmistress Professor McGonagall. I'd like to have Hogwarts re-opened at the beginning of September for the new school year. I promise you now that you'll be well paid for your work. Thank you very much." With that he sat down again, glancing at Hermione, who cast him an appraising look.

_ At the Burrow  
_

"Harry has WHAT?" Ron shouted, eyeing Percy with a combination of horror and disbelief."

"Yes, it's true. Harry has a son. Severus Potter," his father added, looking at his wife.

"Severus?" Molly Weasley queried in apparent surprise. "Why would he name his child after Dumbledore's murderer?"

"That's what I asked him. He was sitting next to me," Percy replied, eagerly. "He told me that Snape had saved his life multiple times and only killed Dumbledore on Dumbledore's orders, because he was dying anyway. He didn't say who was the boy's mother though."

"I know who it is," Ron said, grimly. "Since it's not Ginny, it must be Hermione. That's what they did when they stayed alone in the tent."

_'It was your fault that you left them,'_ a voice spoke up from the back of his mind.

_'Oh well, how could I know that they were going to make babies?'_ he thought back in absolute annoyance.

"Maybe the baby was only adopted..."

"... because his parents died in the war..."

"... like Teddy's," the twins suggested, causing Ron and Ginny to look at Percy with expectation.

"That might be," Percy admitted, pensively. "But they resembled each other very much, and they seemed to be much closer than they'd be if Harry had only adopted him recently."

_'How could Harry and Hermione betray me in such a way?'_ Ron thought, angrily. _'She was my girlfriend, and Harry was supposed to be Ginny's boyfriend.'_ He was brought back to reality, when Ginny stormed out of the room, her face completely white.

HP

During that night, Ron suddenly heard a strange, raspy voice. _'Ronald Weasley, you must help me. You will be greatly rewarded.'_

"Sorry, but who are you and what am I supposed to do?" Ron whispered, suddenly feeling anxious.

_'I am the most powerful wizard since Dumbledore's deathhhh,'_ the voice spoke again. _'Harry Potter has Severus Snape as a baby. You must help me regain my body, so that I can go and kill Severusssss. You will be greatly rewarded for your assistance.'_

_tbc...  
_

* * *

_Thank you again so very much for your kind reviews for the previous chapter!_

I_'d like to dedicate this story to Faye, a good online friend and my reader for many years, who lost her mother last night. I hope this story will give her some fun minutes in a hard time._

_See you tomorrow._


	9. 9 December

**Hogwarts - A Homecoming  
Advent's Calendar 201****2****  
by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!_

* * *

**December 9**

"You-Know-Who?" Ron whispered, wide-eyed.

_'I am Lord Voldemort,'_ the voice replied, _'and I count on you. I shall be patient, but only for a while. I shall come back and give you detailed instructions what you have to do, and I expect you to clearly follow my orders. Do you understand me?'_

"Yes Sir," Ron replied, frightened. He carefully listened if the strange voice was going to say anything else; however, everything remained quiet. _'I can't tell anyone about this, not even Mum,'_ he mused. _'They'd only think I've completely gone nuts, plus they'd warn Harry. But it deserves him right if something happens to the boy. Why is it always him to get everything, even a son? How come Snape is a baby though? I thought he had died, and why would Harry raise the greasy git and not someone like my mum?'_

_ At Hogwarts  
_

Harry's speech at the Ministry, which could be read in wording on the front pages of all magical newspapers the following morning, brought a large group of mostly elder wizards to Hogwarts in order to register as helpers in the rebuilding of the school, where most of them had spent their own youth. At the end of July, in the evening before Harry's eighteenth birthday, Headmistress McGonagall officially announced, "Hogwarts will re-open on the first of September."

"Are you happy?" Hermione queried on the way back from the Great Hall, where they had just taken dinner together with the teachers and helpers who were present in the castle.

"Of course," Harry replied, smiling at his best friend, who noticed in concern that his smile did not reach his eyes.

"Harry, is something wrong?" she enquired, giving him a sharp look.

Severus, who had been quietly walking between the two, suddenly pulled her robes. "Hawwy fick," he announced in his high voice.

Hermione looked from the child to her friend. "Harry, is that true? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Harry replied, glaring at the boy. In fact, he had been feeling under the weather since the evening before; however, he knew that it was important for him to meet Ginny and Ron, who were both going to come to Hogwarts for his birthday party. _'I need to tell Ginny not to wait for me. I don't love her. I love someone else, and even if I won't be able to get her, I can't be Ginny's boyfriend,'_ he thought. _'And with Ron I have to speak about Sevvy. Either he'll accept him as my son or not, but anyway I have to tell him the truth, before Hogwarts is going to commence again.'_

Only now he realised that Hermione had not followed him but had stopped walking a few metres behind. He turned around, giving her a questioning look.

"Harry, is that true?" Hermione suddenly asked in apparent surprise, stepping closer to him.

_'Oh no, did I say that aloud?'_ Harry realised, looking at the clever witch in shock. Suddenly, a violent shiver shook his body, and his ears seemed strangely clogged, making him feel as if the corridor was moving from one side to the other. Without thinking, he gratefully accepted the arm, which his observing friend extended to him.

"Harry, I love you too," Hermione whispered, leaning closer to the boy, until her lips met his.

The thought, _'she still is my best friend's girlfriend'_ crossed his mind; however, his fevered mind immediately dismissed the thought, and he pulled her into a passionate kiss.

Only when Sevvy chuckled and shouted "Yuckyyy" did the two students realise that they were still standing in the hall in front of their own rooms.

Deeply blushing, Hermione pulled away from Harry and said in determination, "Let's go in and get you into bed. You're burning up."

Feeling too miserable to deny that he was unwell, Harry obediently lay down; however, when she handed him a thermometer and announced that she was going to cancel the concealment charm that he was apparently wearing, because he looked completely healthy, he protested vehemently. "Mione, please leave it. I can't have anyone know that I'm sick at least until tomorrow after the birthday party. I really need to speak with Ron and Ginny. This has been bothering me for weeks now, and I'm very glad that they both accepted the invitation and are going to come here tomorrow. I really want to get over with it."

Hermione grudgingly agreed and instructed Harry to try to sleep, promising that she'd give Sevvy a bath and put him to bed - something which they usually did together.

HP

To her relief, Severus seemed to understand that Harry needed his rest and quietly played with his potions kit, until she decided that it was time for him to go to bed. _'Thank Merlin that he is so obedient,'_ she mused, _'although sometimes he seems much older than a nineteen-month-old. I wonder if that's because he was an adult before or just because magical children are more advanced than Muggle children.'_ She gave Sevvy his bath, observing him play with his toy water dragons with amusement. When he was tucked into his cot, she read one of his favourite stories to him, before she instructed him to sleep. "Tomorrow is Harry's birthday, and we're going to have a lot of fun," she promised, "providing that he is well enough."

However, Severus had other ideas than to close his eyes and go to sleep. He stood up and stretched out both arms to Hermione, demanding, "Up!"

"No Sevvy, it's late and you need to sleep," Hermione replied, firmly, trying to make the small boy lie down again, not expecting him to throw a temper tantrum at her simple instruction.

Severus spent a minute jumping up and down, and apparently noticing that it did not have the desired effect, he summoned his magic and did a huge jump over the rails surrounding his cot. With a small thumb, he came to lie on the floor next to Hermione, causing the young witch to stare at him in shock.

"Sevvy, are you all right?" she queried, worriedly.

"Of cowse," Sevvy replied, grumpily, sat up and toddled out of the room as fast as he could on his small legs.

Shaking her head in annoyance, Hermione hurried behind the boy, wondering where he was heading.

_tbc..._

_Thank __you for your kind comments. See you tomorrow!_


	10. 10 December

**Hogwarts - A Homecoming  
Advent's Calendar 201****2****  
by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!_

* * *

**December ****10 **

Hermione was just about to begin scolding Sevvy, when he climbed into Harry's bed and slipped under his covers, contentedly closing his eyes as he snuggled against Harry. _'He shouldn't sleep here. I don't want him to catch what Harry has,'_ she thought; however, somehow she couldn't help respecting the de-aged professor's wish. _'He's a baby though without his memories,'_ a voice spoke up from the back of her head, causing her to let out a long sigh. _'I hope I'll always be able to care for him together with Harry. I hope that it's true what he said earlier and that he didn't only talk like that because he was delirious. As soon as he'll be all right again, we'll have to talk about this,'_ she resolved, before she stepped over to Harry's side of the bed and carefully felt his forehead. It was burning hot.

_'I should go and call Madam Pomfrey, but if I do that, Harry will be very upset,'_ she thought, pondering what to do. After a little while of observing the two wizards sleep, she decided to let Harry sleep and fetch the Mediwitch in the morning if necessary.

HP

A few hours later, Hermione woke up to Sevvy's high voice. "Mynee, come wif me," he instructed her and toddled out of the room.

Torn between concern about Harry and amusement about Sevvy, Hermione scrambled out of bed and followed the toddler into Harry's bedroom. However, the smile quickly vanished from her face at the sight of her friend. Apparently, due to Harry's worsening illness, the concealment charms, which he had placed on himself, had failed. His breathing was ragged, his cheeks held a dark red colour in his otherwise completely white face, and his eyes were surrounded by dark rings.

"Thanks for calling me, Sevvy," Hermione told the small boy, who was sitting on the bed next to Harry. I'm going to fetch Madam Pomfrey."

"Kay," Severus replied and lay down again next to his adoptive father.

By the time Hermione returned with the Healer in tow, Sevvy cast her a broad smile. However, instead of fawning over the child, Pomfrey merely said hello and immediately switched into Healer's mode, waving her wand over Harry multiple times. "He caught pneumonia," she said, finally. "I'll take him with me. Will you be able to care for Sevvy just by yourself?"

"Yes of course," Hermione reassured her quickly, before she added, hesitantly, "Would it be possible for Harry to remain here please? I'll look after him."

Pomfrey gave her a sharp look. "I don't want you or Sevvy to catch the infection," she said, thoughtfully. "Apart from that it wouldn't be a problem, as I have time enough to come here several times a day."

Hermione smiled, remembering the kiss from the previous evening. "If we'd catch it, it would be too late anyway," she said softly. "Sevvy has been cuddling with Harry the whole night, and I..." She slowly trailed off in order to not reveal her secret.

"Very well," Pomfrey agreed, smiling knowingly. "Just call me whenever you need me or want me to take Sevvy for a while."

Hermione promised to do so and left the room together with the Healer in order to speak with the Headmistress and cancel Harry's birthday party. _'I'll ask her to allow Ron to come over for a while. I really need to speak with him,'_ she decided, before she entered McGonagall's office.

HP

Professor McGonagall agreed, and later in the morning Ron Weasley stepped out of the fireplace in her office. "Hermione, Professor," Ron greeted them, curiously looking around.

"Hi Ron," Hermione said, warmly, leading the boy out of the office. "Glad you could come here. Do you want to go for a walk around the lake, or shall we go to the kitchens?" she asked, nodding when Ron suggested to enjoy some elves' made ice cream.

"Is Harry really ill, or why was his birthday party cancelled?" Ron asked, sounding suspicious.

"He caught pneumonia," Hermione explained. "He tried to hide it from everyone, because he urgently wanted to speak with you and Ginny, but it became too bad, so we had to cancel his party."

"What did he want to speak about?" Ron queried, stroppily. "That he's raising the greasy git as his son?"

"What?" Hermione asked, unintelligently, staring at her still supposed to be boyfriend in shock.

"You've been with him the whole time, haven't you?" Ron asked, heatedly. "You know that he's adopted a baby, don't you?"

"Yes of course I know that, but why do you know who he is?" Hermione replied, curiously. "No one is supposed to know that. Only Professor McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey, Minister Bones and I knew so far, and he also wanted to inform you."

Ron chuckled. "He thinks he's the centre of the world and everyone is his admirer, doesn't he? No, I've known for several weeks, and I didn't hear it from any of the people you listed."

"Ron?" Hermione asked, giving the boy a piercing look. "You're his best friend, aren't you?"

Ron let out a snort. "Fine best friend he is. I haven't heard a word from either of you since the end of the war."

"I'm sorry, Ron," Hermione replied, getting upset now too. "We've been really busy, not only raising Sevvy but also helping with the renovation of the castle. We didn't have any time for ourselves so far; I haven't even been able to do any schoolwork let alone buy my seventh year books yet."

"Wait," Ron said, looking at her in disbelief. "You're raising Snape together?"

Hermione let out a long sigh. "Yes, Ron, I'm helping Harry raising Sevvy. However, he is not a Snape but a Potter, and you better keep to that if you don't want to make Harry very upset."

"Who cares?" Ron mumbled to himself, unfortunately loud enough for Hermione to understand.

"Ron, I'm really sorry, but I can't be your girlfriend any longer," she said in a firm voice. "I can't tolerate your constant jealousy towards Harry..." She interrupted herself when an alarm informed her that Sevvy had just woken up from his nap and quickly rose from her seat. "I'm sorry, Ron, but I really mean it. Please excuse me now. Sevvy has woken up and I need to go. We'll see each other in a month, when school is going to commence again." With that she left the upset boy to himself.

HP

Ron stared after the girl, her voice still sounding in his ears. _'She left me,'_ he thought, still unable to grasp the truth. _'Oh well, I'll use the opportunity to check the library for the light velocity charm that Voldemort wants me to use.'_

_tbc..._

* * *

_Thanks to the four kind reviewers for your invaluable comments! I really__ appreciate them. _

_To those who did not like the last chapter because you like Ron or don't like the Harry/Hermione pairing, I suggest that you stop reading at this point because you won't like the rest of the story either. You have been warned._

_More tomorrow._


	11. 11 December

**Hogwarts - A Homecoming  
Advent's Calendar 201****2****  
by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!_

* * *

**December ****11**

Harry woke up to Sevvy's wails. He lazily opened his eyes, realising that he felt much better than before.

"Sevvy, what's wrong?" he asked, sleepily, before a thought crossed his mind. _'Maybe he needs his nappy changed. Hermione still seems to be asleep.'_ Realising that the boy seemed not inclined to reply, he asked, "Shall we change your nappy and get you dressed?"

Sevvy stopped wailing and gave him a short nod, before he quickly got out of bed and toddled ahead towards the nursery. Harry slowly followed him, wondering where Hermione was, as she usually got up, when the charm that she had placed on Sevvy went off. He changed the child's nappy and was just dressing him in a dark green jumpsuit that was covered with small, roaring yellow dragons, when Hermione entered the nursery.

"Oh Harry, I'm sorry, please go back to bed, I'll finish here," she said, urgently, giving him a concerned look.

"No Mione, it's okay," Harry replied, although he had to admit to himself that he wanted nothing more than to lie down again. "What happend? You look very upset."

Hermione sighed. "I am upset," she admitted in a small voice and informed Harry about her conversation with Ron.

"You separated from him?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Yes," Hermione replied, simply, and took a completely dressed Sevvy into her arms. "Are you hungry, sweetheart?" she asked, kindly, but the child shook his head and struggled out of her arms to the floor. "Harry, go back to bed," Hermione said firmly and admitted that she had called Pomfrey in the morning. Seeing that Sevvy busied himself with his Potions kit, she followed Harry into his room and sat on the edge of his bed.

"Wait, you cancelled my birthday party?" Harry asked, horrified. "But I need to speak with Ginny and Ron..."

"I know," Hermione interrupted him, before she waved her wand at a small towel casting a cooling spell. She carefully adjusted it to Harry's forehead and informed her friend about the conversation with Ron, leaving out that the boy already knew who Sevvy was in order to not upset her sick friend more than necessary.

"Mione," Harry whispered, reaching out for her cold hand, "are you sure that you wanted to separate from him? It's not just because of what I said last night, right?"

A smile flashed over Hermione's face. "No my dear, I wanted to tell him since weeks. I just didn't have an opportunity to speak with him." She gently held his hand and after a minute of quiet asked, "Harry, did you really mean what you said last night?"

Harry let out a few harsh coughs, before he returned the smile and whispered, "Yes, I meant it, although I didn't mean to say such a thing."

Hermione chuckled, thinking, _'Thank Merlin he was delirious enough to tell me.'_ Aloud she queried, hesitating, "Since when did you have... feelings for me?"

"Since about our third year," Harry admitted quietly, before he returned the question.

"Since I first met you," Hermione whispered back, blushing. Seeing Harry smile, she leaned over to once again pull him into a long kiss.

Harry couldn't help thoroughly enjoying the kiss; however, when he finally pulled off, he said, "I'm sorry, Mione, but I have to speak with Ginny first, before I can ask you to become my girlfriend. As soon as I can, I'll do so. Will you wait for me?"

"Of course," Hermione replied, smiling.

However, later the same day, both Sevvy and Hermione became ill as well, and the small family ended up spending the whole week in Harry's bed cuddling with each other to make themselves feel better, while they recovered.

Madam Pomfrey grudgingly allowed the students to remain in their own rooms and enlarged Harry's bed, so that they could stay together and look after each other and the child, while she came every few hours to check on them and administer the necessary potions. Knowing that her best friend Minerva would not approve the students sleeping in a bed together, even if they were adults and there was a baby lying in the middle, she forbade everyone to disturb the sick students. When she finally deemed them well enough to receive a visitor, Professor McGonagall came to see Hermione, Harry and Sevvy.

"Ms. Granger, Mr. Potter, I'd like to ask you something," she came straight to the point. "I don't know if you'd like to return to Gryffindor, when school commences in three weeks; however, I thought about making you head girl and head boy, and if you accepted the positions, you could remain here in your own quarters. Maybe it would be more convenient to live here together with Sevvy than in a dormitory. What do you think?" She gave the students an expectant look, pulling Sevvy onto her lap at the same time.

Hermione and Harry exchanged a glance, which was sufficient for them to know that they agreed with each other, and Hermione replied, "Thank you so very much for your offer. We really appreciate it, and we' like to accept it."

_'Thank Merlin Sevvy and I don't have to share a dormitory with Ron,'_ Harry mused and quickly nodded his agreement.

_ At the Burrow  
_

Ron was still not completely recovered from the lung infection with that he had come down on the day after his visit to Hogwarts, mostly due to the nightly interruptions from Voldemort, who was slowly becoming impatient. _'You must practise and cast the charm; otherwise it will be too late, and I'll have to think of something else. However, believe me, you won't want to live up to failing me and having me as your enemy,'_ the raspy voice threatened every other night. Whenever he was alone in his room, Ron spent some time practising the wand movement and the long incantation of the light velocity charm.

On this day, his fever had finally broken, and he decided to try out the charm, as soon as he'd find a quiet minute. _'I have to pull through with it before the time, at which Voldemort usually contacts me,'_ he thought and happily agreed, when Molly instructed him to take a long nap after lunch.

_'I hope I'll manage the charm, otherwise he'll surely kill me,'_ he mused, anxiously, wishing that he could rely on Hermione's help. _'No,'_ he thought, letting out a long sigh. _'No one, not even Hermione, can know what I'm doing. All of my friends and family would despise me for this, all these Harry lovers.'_ Just to be sure to remain undisturbed, he cast a locking charm at the door, before he opened the window, placed his cauldron on the window sill, and pointed his wand against the sky, which was bright blue without a single cloud on this warm summer day.

Summoning all his courage and his magic, he waved his wand in the complex movement, which he had intensively studied, and mumbled the incantation that Voldemort had taught him, because he had not been able to find it in the Hogwarts library without Hermione's help. Finally, he pointed his wand at the cauldron, just when he finished the spell. _'This will now take a few hours,'_ he thought and, leaving the window open, retreated to his bed, where he immediately drifted off into an exhausted slumber.

_tbc..._

_Thank __you so much for your kind comments. See you tomorrow._


	12. 12 December

**Hogwarts - A Homecoming  
Advent's Calendar 201****2****  
by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!_

* * *

**December ****12**

Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey strictly forbade Harry and Hermione to do any school work let alone more renovation work during the remaining weeks until the beginning of the school year. Therefore, the soon to be head girl and head boy spent much time taking Severus to places, which were interesting for toddlers, like the zoo in London or the sea side, and the three enjoyed their holiday a lot. _'This is the best summer ever,'_ Harry mused, happily. _'It's just as if we were a real family.'_ However, the thought of what he had to do before they could become even closer to a real family frequently pushed itself to the front of his mind.

"Mione, do you think I could meet Ginny at Diagon Alley once to speak with her?" he asked one day. "I'd really like to get over with it rather than waiting until school begins again."

Hermione looked up from the floor puzzle that she was just doing with Severus and smiled. "Of course, Harry. Why don't you write her and ask? We could go to Diagon Alley together, and Sevvy and I can spend some time at the _'Magical Child's Learning Centre'_."

Harry agreed and immediately wrote a letter to Ginny, inviting her to meet him for lunch at the Leaky Cauldron the following day.

_ At the Burrow _

Ron woke up with a jolt. _'Uh, that was a strange nightmare,' _he thought, still having the image of himself observing Voldemort fight with Baby Snape at the front of his mind. _'I need to put away the cauldron, before Mum or Ginny come to check on me,'_ he realised and hurried to the window, where he hesitantly peaked into the cauldron.

The ground of the cauldron was covered with black powder. _'I hope that's correct, but it should be,'_ the boy mused and pointed his wand at the cauldron to cast the preserving charm that Voldemort had taught him one night. Afterwards, he carefully returned the cauldron into his wardrobe, securing it with a notice-me-not charm as well as an alarm that would alert him if anyone touched the item. "Thank Merlin I did it so far," he whispered to himself, as he released his door from the locking charm and went back to bed in exhaustion.

Ron was just about to drift back to sleep, when Ginny stormed into the room. "Ron, Ron," she shouted with apparent excitement. "I just got a letter from Harry. He wants to meet me at the Leaky Cauldron tomorrow."

"Really?" Ron queried, giving his sister a surprised look. "Well, maybe he finally remembered who his friends are. I'll accompany you."

"Ron!" Ginny said, sighing in exasperation. "You can't come with me to a date you know. I'm well able to go there on my own."

"But still," Ron insisted. "I'll wait for you somewhere, just in case he tells you off like Hermione ended our relationship. Then I'm going to get back to him."

However, when his mother came to check on him a few minutes later and realised that his condition was much worse than earlier the same day, she said sternly, "No Ronald, you're definitely not going anywhere tomorrow."

_ At the Leaky Cauldron _

Harry arrived at the Leaky Cauldron just when Ginny stepped out of the fireplace. _'Thank Merlin she's alone,'_ Harry thought, not wanting to meet any of the girl's over-protective brothers that day.

"Hi Harry," Ginny said, smiling.

"Hello Ginny," Harry replied, returning the smile, before he led her into the small chamber, which Tom, the owner of the Leaky Cauldron, had reserved for him.

"How is everyone at the Burrow?" Harry enquired, just to win some time and make conversation, as he felt extremely unsure about how to inform the girl about what he had to tell her.

"Ron is ill, otherwise he'd have wanted to meet you today too," Ginny replied, eagerly, "and George and Fred are busily experimenting how much mischief they're able to do with Fred in his ghost form. So it's not boring at home, but I'm looking forward to returning to Hogwarts very much."

"Fred came back as a ghost?" Harry repeated in surprise, "Oh well that's awesome. I'm really happy that he could manage that. I have to go and meet those two sometime soon."

Ginny chuckled. "They're at the joke shop. They'll be happy to see you too. They're both going to attend seventh year at Hogwarts though, so you'll meet soon anyway."

"All right," Harry said, slowly, before he continued in a more hesitant way, "Ginny, I need to tell you something." Seeing that she gave him an expectant look, he said, regrettingly, "During the war, I told you I'd come back for you after the war. However, I can't do that. I'm really sorry, but I realised that I don't love you." _'Oh Merlin, I'm so stupid. I should have practised this with Mione. I just can't say such things without hurting anyone,'_ he inwardly scolded himself, while Ginny remained quiet for a minute.

"But Harry, I love you," she then said, seemingly horrified at his words.

"I'm really sorry, Ginny," Harry replied, sighing. "I can understand if you don't want to be friends with me anymore, but if possible..." He trailed off, when the girl jumped from her seat and darted out of the room, breaking out in tears.

_'Stupid me,'_ he thought, fighting back the tears that threatened to leak from his eyes. He waited in his seat, until he could be sure that Ginny had left, before he retreated from the room and walked straight back into Diagon Alley, knowing that his son and the boy's surrogate mother were waiting for him.

_ At Hogwarts _

It was at breakfast in the Great Hall the following day that an old barn owl, which Harry did not recognise, swept down on the table in front of him, carrying a red envelope. _'Oh no,'_ he thought, feeling extremely annoyed, _'does that have to be here in front of all the teachers, Mione and Sevvy?'_ He slowly took the envelope from the owl, wondering if the Weasleys had a new owl, and hesitantly opened it.

It was Ron's voice that immediately began to hiss at him. "How dare you hurt my sister? She has done nothing but being loyal to you, since she first met you. But I tell you now I'm going to get back..." With that the boy's voice ended up in a coughing fit.

However, when Harry had expected that the parchment became destroyed as usual, he was mistaken. It remained on the table in front of him.

"Strange," he thought aloud and was just about to take it in his hands, when Sevvy pushed away his arms.

"No," the small boy shouted, "don'touch. Vewwy baad."

_tbc..._

_A huge thanks to the awesome readers who were so kind and fed my muse with their comments! More tomorrow..._


	13. 13 December

**Hogwarts - A Homecoming  
Advent's Calendar 201****2****  
by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!_

* * *

**December ****13**

"I know, Sevvy," Harry replied, calmly. "But it's all right." With that he took the Howler from the table, folded it and slid it into the pocket of his jeans, before he realised that everyone else sitting at the table was watching the scene. He let out a long sigh and explained for everyone to hear, "Yesterday, I met with Ginny Weasley and told her that I can't get together with her." His mouth stretched to a small smile, when he felt Hermione's hand squeeze his own under the table.

"Don't worry, Harry. Ginny and Ron will get over this," Professor McGonagall said kindly, giving Harry a fond look from the opposite side of the table.

"I hope so," Harry replied in a subdued voice, all of a sudden feeling very nauseous. He slowly rose from his chair and quickly told Hermione that he was going back to their quarters.

"No Harry, you haven't eaten anything yet," Hermione protested, eyeing her best friend in concern. His face had taken on a yellowish shade. "Harry..."

"Mama," Sevvy interrupted her, sounding terrified, "wook Dada's hands."

Harry slowly raised his right hand that felt incredibly heavy and stared at it in shock. Large, pink pustules were quickly spreading over his skin. He questioningly looked at Hermione.

In the meantime, the teachers had become aware of the commotion, and Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall stepped around the table.

"Mr. Potter, I believe that you have been poisoned," the Healer said, calmly. "Please accompany me to the hospital wing." To Severus, who seemed to be panicking, she said, "Don't worry, sweetheart. This is only a prank, and your daddy will be fine again soon."

HP

While Harry had to spend two days in the hospital wing with a very itchy skin and a high fever, Hermione tried to distract Severus by taking him to the room of requirement, where she had made a huge indoor playground for him. While she was observing the small boy enjoying himself, she engrossed herself in her own thoughts. _'Sevvy called me Mama,'_ she remembered, _'I love it, even if he only said it when he was panicking about Harry. But I need to give Harry time, considering that he only just now told Ginny off.'_

She was pulled out of her thoughts, when Severus climbed onto her lap. "Is dada awwight?" he asked, his small face scrunched in concern.

Hermione pulled the small boy into a hug. "Yes Sevvy, dada will be okay. Someone played a prank on him, which is a bit painful for him but otherwise harmless. He'll be fully healthy again tomorrow or the day after. Do you want to go to the Potions classroom and brew a potion?"

Severus happily agreed, and the two made their way to the Potions classroom with a small detour to Madam Pomfrey's office to ask if the Healer needed any potions for the hospital wing. During the next two days, Hermione and Sevvy brewed several batches of potions. Of course Hermione did all the work for which a knife was needed; however, Sevvy busied himself fetching ingredients and also adding ingredients to the potions under Hermione's watchful eyes.

HP

A few days later, Harry received a huge packet labelled 'WWW'.

"Be careful, Harry," Hermione warned him, seeing that he extended his hand to open it.

"Ah Mione, it's from the twins, and they won't want to harm me," Harry replied, trying to sound more confident than he actually was, and hesitantly opened the box. It was filled with all kinds of goodies from the joke shop as well as a small parchment.

_'Our apologies, Harrykins.  
Please understand that we had to do what we did or Ronnykins would have killed us for sure.  
Your big brothers Gred and Forge'_

Hermione let out a snort, while Harry examined the content of the box with amusement.

_ At the Burrow _

Ron could not wait for Hogwarts to begin again. _'I hope everything will go well. I wonder how Voldemort will reward me,'_ he mused, finally coming to the conclusion that it would already be a great reward to know that Severus was going to be taken away from Harry. _'He really deserves that something like that happens,'_ he thought, feeling very jealous of his friend, while he got ready for bed in the evening of the last day of the summer holidays.

_ At Hogwarts _

Hermione, Harry and Severus were spending a quiet day in their quarters. In fact, the head girl and head boy had been supposed to apparate to London and ride the Hogwarts Express back to the school; however, since the previous night, Sevvy was suffering from a bad chest cold that was resistant against Pepperup potion. Therefore, Hermione and Harry had begged the Headmistress to excuse them from the train travel, and McGonagall had agreed immediately, knowing that Sevvy needed his parents nearby, especially when he was unwell.

The two students were sitting on the sofa next to each other with a sleeping Severus spread over their laps.

"I hope he'll be all right in the morning, so that we can take him with us to class," Harry said quietly, absentmindedly observing Hermione gently bathe the child's flushed face with a cold cloth. _'She makes an awesome mother,'_ he thought, feeling very happy to be alone with the girl and Severus.

"Well, otherwise we'll have to leave him with Poppy," Hermione replied. "I just hope that you're not going to catch his cold like you usually do," she added, sighing.

According to the Healer, Severus' immune system had suffered from his previous death, which was the reason why the small boy caught colds and other illnesses almost every week. Unfortunately, due to the neglect by his relatives, Harry's condition was not much better, and he often shared Severus' ailments.

_'She is beautiful,'_ Harry mused, staring at his friend, who looked at him in concern. "Mione," he heard himself speak up without even thinking about what he was going to say. "Will you become my wife and Severus' mother?"

Hermione's expression turned into surprise. "Sorry," Harry said quickly, "if this is too sudden or too early or quickly or..." He slowly trailed off, unsure what to say.

_tbc..._

_A huge thanks to the kind readers who reviewed the last chapter!_


	14. 14 December

**Hogwarts - A Homecoming  
Advent's Calendar 201****2****  
by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!_

* * *

**December ****14**

"Yes," Hermione replied, simply, and a huge smile spread over her face. "Yes Harry, I'd love to become your wife and Sevvy's mother."

Professor McGonagall was the first to hear the good news, since she chose that instant to knock and enter her students' quarters in order to fetch them for lunch in the Great Hall.

"My congratulations, Hermione and Harry," she said, gently. "I'm very happy for the two of you, but also for Severus, as he really needs such caring parents as the two of you. Have you already made any plans about getting married?"

Hermione and Harry exchanged an amused glance at their old Head of House's excitement. "No Professor, Harry only asked me five minutes ago," Hermione admitted, smiling. "Would it be a problem to become married, while we're still students?"

McGonagall let out a small sigh. "Well, usually, I don't appreciate such relationships among students; however, in your case it's different, because you have Severus and are a small family already. Apart from that, you've helped us so much with everything, with the renovation and as I heard also with brewing potions for the hospital wing and many other things that I believe that our staff members feel as if you already belonged to the Hogwarts staff," she said, thoughtfully.

"Already?" Hermione queried, giving the Headmistress a confused look.

McGonagall chuckled. "Oh well, it was not my intention to ask you this now, but in fact, I was hoping that you'll both remain at Hogwarts after taking your NEWTs. I urgently need professors for Potions, Defence Against the Dark Arts as well as a successor in Transfiguration."

"I'd love to teach Transfiguration if you deem me good enough to do so," Hermione replied, enthusiastically. "What about you, Harry? You'd be an awesome Defence teacher."

"Yes, I'd like that," Harry said, simply. "Professor, is there any way that you can keep the Potions position open for Severus? I know that it'll take about fifteen years before he'll be able to teach if that's what he wants for his life at all, but..."

"I know what you mean, Harry," McGonagall replied kindly. "And yes, I won't forget Severus. Is there anyone in your year who is good at Potions apart from Hermione?"

"The Weasley twins," Harry replied, grinning. "They're absolutely awesome at brewing, even if I don't know how much Fred can brew in his ghost form, but he'll definitely be able to help George teaching. Plus they'll surely agree to give the position back after fifteen years, considering that they also have the joke shop to look after."

"That's true," the Headmistress agreed, contentedly. "I'll speak with Messrs. Weasley at the next opportunity."

HP

When Pomfrey came to check on Severus in the early evening, the potions had done their work and his condition had improved greatly, so that she grudgingly allowed Harry and Hermione to take him with them to the Welcoming Feast.

"From tonight onwards, we're going to sit at the Gryffindor table together with all the other students," Hermione informed Sevvy, who was being given a piggyback ride to the Great Hall by Harry.

"Kay," Sevvy replied, cheerily, seemingly enjoying his ride.

Hermione and Harry led Sevvy to the side of the Gryffindor table, where the new first years were going to sit, and made themselves comfortable with Sevvy sitting on Harry's lap. The teachers were animatedly talking at the Head table, while everyone was waiting for the students to arrive.

Still under the influence of the potions, Sevvy soon fell asleep again, and the two students used the quiet to discuss their engagement and make plans for their wedding. However, before they could decide on when to get married and whom to invite, the first students stormed into the Hall.

With mixed feelings, Harry observed how Ron and Ginny took seats opposite of Hermione and himself, while George lowered himself into the seat next to him. Ghost Fred hovered between Harry and George.

"Hi and thanks for your gift," Harry whispered to the twins, who returned a broad smile and asked if he had already tried out some of the goodies. "No, I didn't have a chance yet, considering that no one was here except for a few teachers," he whispered back, before he turned his attention to the Sorting.

During the following minutes, the Gryffindor table steadily filled, as more and more first years became sorted into Gryffindor, and Hermione and Harry eagerly listened, when the young students introduced themselves to their neighbours. Finally, the Sorting was over, and Professor McGonagall rose from her seat to welcome the students.

"To our older students a warm welcome back and a special greeting to our new students," the Headmistress began. "During the war, parts of Hogwarts have been badly destroyed, and together with many helpers we've spent the whole summer to partly re-build the school. Unfortunately, we have also lost some of our professors and will only be able to hire new professors next summer. Therefore, during this year, Professor Pomfrey is going to teach Potions, Professor Bill Weasley will teach Defence Against the Dark Arts, while I will remain as the Transfiguration teacher in spite of being Headmistress. We still lack a professor for our Magical Creatures class, but we hope to be able to fill the position as soon as possible. Our new head girl is Hermione Granger, and the head boy is Harry Potter."

Huge applause from three of the four House tables accompanied her announcement. Only the Slytherin table remained quiet, and Harry noticed in surprise that there were less students in Slytherin than in the other Houses. _'Strange, I wonder if more students from Slytherin died in the war than from other Houses,'_ Harry thought but was brought back to reality, when Professor McGonagall continued to speak.

"Right after the end of the war, Mr. Potter has adopted a child, a victim of the war. His name is Sevvy Potter, and Mr. Potter is raising him together with the baby's godmother, Ms. Granger. Please behave towards our youngest resident and know that otherwise you'll be severely punished." With that the Headmistress ended her speech, and food popped up on the tables.

HP

With disgust, Ron eyed the small boy, who was happily smiling at Fred and George from his position on Harry's lap, while Harry was trying in vain to make him eat his dinner. _'I'll begin right away,'_ he mused. _'Tomorrow while the others have Potions, I'm going to set up the cauldron in Myrthe's bathroom. No one ever comes there, and we've managed to brew there before.'_

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind comments... more tomorrow!_


	15. 15 December

**Hogwarts - A Homecoming  
Advent's Calendar 201****2****  
by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!_

* * *

**December ****15**

When Hermione distributed the time tables for Gryffindor in the morning, Ron noticed in exasperation that the Gryffindor and Slytherin seventh years did not have a Potions class on that day, which would be the only class that he did not have together with everyone else. _'Only tomorrow,'_ he thought, _'but I don't want to wait any longer. Oh well, I'll just use lunch break,'_ he decided and quickly made himself an additional sandwich that he pocketed in order to have something to eat at lunch time.

HP

"Do you think Ginny and Ron will ever get around?" Harry whispered to Hermione on their way to the Charms classroom.

"Ginny will," the girl replied, thoughtfully. "She is behaving fairly normally; however, you know Ron. It'll take some time. Did you expect anything else?"

"No," Harry had to admit. By now they had reached the Charms classroom, and everyone was staring at him and Sevvy. _'Oh well, so much about not being the centre of attention anymore now that the war is over,'_ he thought, feeling totally annoyed by his classmates' curiosity. _'Thank Merlin Hermione is with me and has all classes together with me.'_

"Harry, are you all right?" Hermione queried, worriedly.

Harry looked up, startled. Only now did he realise that everyone else had already entered the classroom. "Oh sorry," he replied and hurriedly ushered Sevvy into the classroom, inwardly groaning upon noticing that the only empty seats were in the first row.

Hermione set up Sevvy's playpen, equipped with a small pile of books and other toys, next to Harry's seat and placed Severus inside. "Be good for Daddy and for Professor Flitwick," she instructed the boy in a low voice.

"I wead," Severus promised firmly and proceeded to look at his books, just when the professor entered the classroom. Unfortunately, the nearly two-year-old's attention span was not long enough to get through the class, especially since he was not completely well yet, and after twenty minutes, Sevvy stood in his playpen and raised both arms towards Harry, his lower lip beginning to quiver.

_'Just what I needed now,'_ Harry thought in exasperation, _'bad enough that I've got such a headache and difficulties concentrating this morning.'_ Inwardly sighing, he pulled the whiny child onto his lap. To his relief, Severus remained quiet. Leaning his head against Harry's chest, he soon drifted off to sleep.

_ Moaning Myrte's bathroom _

Herbology was the Gryffindor seventh years' last morning class, and as soon as Professor Sprout dismissed them, Ron stormed out of the greenhouse and hurried towards the Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

He placed his book bag near the spot that Hermione had used to brew her potion in their second year and pulled out his cauldron as well as the parchment, on which he had scribbled what Voldemort had told him about how to make the potion for him. The thought _'Maybe I should use only half of the parts of Voldemort, so that I have some left in case I make a mistake with the brewing'_ crossed his mind; however, recalling how simple the potion was, he dismissed the thought and went to one of the sinks to fill water into the cauldron. He carefully mixed the water under the small parts of Voldemort, which he had gathered out of the universe using the speed of light spell on that afternoon at the Burrow. _'Uh, now my own blood,'_ he thought, feeling extremely awkward, as he held his left elbow over the cauldron and pointed his wand at the elbow, making five drops of blood drop into the mixture of water and Voldemort's parts. As soon as he began to stir the potion, the black liquid took on a dark red colour. _'Okay, now it has to boil for twenty-five minutes and then to simmer for ten hours,'_ he read from his parchment and relaxed, suddenly feeling famished.

He took the sandwich out of his bag and devoured it with gusto, not noticing that a few crumbles ended up in the bubbling liquid, causing the colour to change to a slightly orange hue. Still feeling hungry, he pondered if he'd have time to run to the Great Hall or the kitchen and get some more food; however, he didn't dare leaving, afraid that he might be back too late to take the cauldron off the flame.

Finally, the twenty-five minutes were over, and Ron lowered the flame, so that the potion could simmer. _'Oh well, I need to come back at a quarter to eleven tonight,'_ he thought and cast a notice-me-not charm at the cauldron, before he hurriedly left the room and headed to the kitchen.

HP

During the afternoon classes, Ron couldn't help thinking about the potion and what was going to happen. Professor McGonagall reprimanded him twice, before she finally took twenty points from Gryffindor. However, to Harry, who seemed to be as inattentive as himself, she merely said, "Mr. Potter, please go and see Madam Pomfrey, as you seem to be too unwell to follow this class."

_'What?'_ Ron thought, angrily, observing how Hermione took the baby from Harry and Harry left the room twenty minutes before the end of the last afternoon class. He was just about to ask the professor about the unfair treatment, when he remembered how he was going to get his revenge at Harry and smiled in expectation.

_ In Hermione's and Harry's quarters _

Thirty minutes later, Hermione left the classroom with a very whiny Sevvy in tow. The child had slept through the afternoon classes, but when he woke up noticing that Harry was gone, he became very upset.

"It's all right, Sevvy, we're going to search for Daddy now," Hermione said, soothingly, deciding to return to their own rooms, as she could not imagine that Harry had really gone to the hospital wing.

As expected, her fiancé could be found in his own room, where he was thoroughly examining the box, which he had received from Fred and George.

"Harry, what are you doing?" Hermione asked, looking at the boy in exasperation, while Sevvy happily climbed onto his daddy's lap.

Harry sighed. "I'm looking for a good prank," he admitted quietly. "I think we'll have to do something funny in order to get Ron back to his usual self. No idea if it'll work, but it's at least worth a try." Finally, he found what he was looking for and grinned, as he slid a small package from the box into his robe pocket.

_ In the Gryffindor common room _

"Ron, are you all right?" Ginny queried, eyeing her brother in obvious concern.

"Yes of course," Ron replied, trying to set up a contented expression.

"Why don't you ask Harry and Hermione if you can do your homework together?" Ginny asked. "You can't tell me that you're not missing them, considering how you stuck together the last six years. They're probably just waiting for you to ask, and considering what you did to Harry, you can't expect him to do the first step."

_'I've to do something to get close to Harry again,'_ Ron mused. _'Voldemort probably chose me because of being his best friend.'_ To Ginny he said, "Yes, I'd like to do homework together, but will they let me after what I did?"

Ginny sighed. "Harry is very forgiving, and yes, he'll understand that you did it to revenge me. He seems to have already forgiven the twins, and he surely knows that it was them who applied the powder to your Howler. Shall I ask Hermione and Harry on your behalf?"

"Yes please," Ron replied, feeling slightly consoled by his sister's kind words.

_tbc..._

_Thank you for your kind comments. Have a good weekend. See you tomorrow._


	16. 16 December

**Hogwarts - A Homecoming  
Advent's Calendar 201****2****  
by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!_

* * *

**December ****16**

To Ron's disappointment, neither Hermione nor Harry showed up at dinner, so that Ginny could not speak with them. _'Oh well, they receive every special treatment now that they have a son,'_ he thought, feeling more and more upset at his supposed to be best friends. His mood had not improved yet, when he headed to the Moaning Myrte's bathroom later that evening to see if his potion was ready.

He hesitantly made sure that no one else was in the corridor, before he quickly opened the door and slid into the bathroom, only to stop dead in his tracks.

"Hurry up, boy," a voice ordered him that seemed to come out of the cauldron.

Ron stepped nearer and saw a very small human being inside the now clear liquid. Only its head was outside of the potion, and the voice again spoke up.

"You have to pull me out of this cauldron."

Ron hesitantly reached out for the small figure, realising, horrified, that it looked like the spitting image of himself. An instant later, the man stood next to him on the floor and began to grow, until he reached Ron's size.

"You look like me," Ron blurted out, staring at the other. "Are you really Voldemort?"

"I am Lord Voldemort," the man in front of him hissed, looking down his own naked body. "I look like a monkey," he then added, seeing that his whole body was covered by red, bushy hair. "Are you a baboon or a human, boy?" he growled.

"I don't have so much hair," Ron replied, frightened.

"Then the potion was not really clean. Did you use a dirty cauldron?" Voldemort enquired, glaring at him.

"Ah no sir, I did everything according to your instructions," Ron stammered, terrified. _'Maybe a crump from my sandwich ended up in the liquid, when I brewed the potion at lunchtime,'_ he then thought and quickly added an apology. "I'm sorry, sir."

"I hope you're sorry," Voldemort growled. "Now go and fetch me some clothes. We're going to take turns going out from here. When I want to go somewhere, you're going to remain here. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir," Ron agreed, inwardly groaning at his own situation. Promising "I'll be back as soon as I can," he hurried to his dormitory to fetch some clothes and a robe for his doppelganger.

When he returned to the bathroom, Voldemort ordered him to come back the next evening after dinner.

"Sir, do I need to bring you some food?" Ron remembered to ask, already feeling hungry again.

"No need, I'm just going to call my own house-elf," the evil wizard replied and stepped over to the sink, of which Ron knew that it led to the Chamber of Secrets.

_ In Hermione's and Harry's quarters _

At the same time, Harry and Hermione were quietly doing their homework, now that Sevvy was finally asleep in his own bed. From time to time, Hermione cast Harry worried looks, before she finally said, "I think you should go to bed, Harry. The Pepperup potion seems to not have helped much."

Harry let out a long sigh, admitting that Hermione was right. He put away his books, packed his school bag for the following day and got ready for bed. "Good night, Mione," he finally said. "Don't work too long. You need some sleep as well."

"I'm going to finish now," Hermione replied, smiling, and closed her books.

When Harry climbed into bed, letting out a relieved sigh when his aching head came to rst on his pillow, Hermione quietly entered the room. She stepped around the bed that still retained the size, which Madam Pomfrey had expanded it to several weeks ago, and lay down next to him.

"If McGonagall ever catches us like this, we'll have been head girl and head boy the longest time," Harry spoke up, grinning.

"No Harry, she'd understand that I have to look after you, since you're obviously unable to do so," Hermione replied, smirking, as she snuggled into his embrace.

_'Feels good,'_ Harry thought, as he drifted off to sleep that was only disturbed when the alarm went off alerting him that Sevvy had woken up.

"It's all right, dear; I'll go," Hermione whispered and went to look after the child.

HP

A few hours later, Hermione stumbled into the Potions classroom, just when Professor Pomfrey was about to close the door. She quickly excused Harry with the Healer, who promised to check on the boy after the second morning class. Inwardly groaning in annoyance that she had almost been late for class because it had taken her so long to convince Harry to miss classes, which she had only been able to do with Sevvy's help, she sat on the empty seat in the first row.

As well as possible, she tried to concentrate on her brewing, in spite of the fact that her thoughts frequently wandered off to Harry and Sevvy, wondering what her two boys were doing right now. _'It's really boring without them,'_ she mused, as she stirred the potion to completion.

When she took her seat in the Transfiguration classroom, Ron suddenly slipped into the empty seat next to her.

"Hermione," he whispered, "do you think we could study together after dinner?"

"Today?" she asked, surprised.

"Um, why not?" Ron replied, giving her an expectant look.

"I don't know," Hermione said, slowly. "Harry is ill, and also after dinner is not good, because we're usually busy bathing Sevvy and putting him to bed. But if you want, you could join us between the last afternoon class and dinner."

"Okay," Ron agreed, smiling at her.

_'I hope Harry will be all right with it,'_ Hermione mused, _'considering what Ron did to him.'_ However, before she could add any further comment, McGonagall entered the classroom and the class began.

HP

In the evening, however, Hermione soon realised that it was not Harry, who held grudges against the red haired boy, but Severus, who apparently disliked their friend.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind comments. My muse really appreciates them. See you tomorrow..._


	17. 17 December

**Hogwarts - A Homecoming  
Advent's Calendar 201****2****  
by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!_

* * *

**December ****17**

Instructing Ron to come to Harry's and her quarters in fifteen minutes, so that she'd have some time to inform Harry, Hermione returned home after the last afternoon class, wondering if it had been the right decision to invite the boy.

"That's good," Harry said, smiling upon hearing the news.

"I don'wike Won," was Severus comment, and when Ron finally knocked at the door and entered the living room, Severus merely quirked an eyebrow, before he returned his attention to his potions kit.

"Sevvy, say hello to Ron," Harry instructed him firmly. "Ron is a good friend of Mione and me."

"Hello," Severus uttered in a bored voice, not bothering to look up, while he calmly stirred his potion.

"What are you brewing, sweetie?" Hermione asked gently, brushing a kiss on the child's forehead.

"Hawbdwops fow Daddy's sowe twoat," Severus replied and looked up, cheering at Hermione.

"Aww Sevvy, that's really nice of you," Hermione commended the child, smiling as she joined Harry and Ron at the table.

During the following two hours, the three seventh years concentrated on their studies, and Harry inwardly sighed in relief. _'Thank Merlin, everything seems as it always was. I really want to make up with Ron,'_ he thought, as he closed his books at dinner time.

"Will you come back tomorrow?" he queried, casting the other boy a curious look.

"Yes," Ron replied, startled. "Are you not going to attend dinner?"

"No," Hermione replied, shaking her head. "Harry and Sevvy are supposed to stay here today. Maybe tomorrow."

HP

_'Perhaps that's better,'_ Ron mused as he walked to the Great Hall. _'I wouldn't want Voldemort to accidentally meet them in the halls. They know me so well that there's a risk that they might know the difference, although he looks like me.'_

HP

"Sevvy, don't you like Ron?" Hermione queried, sounding slightly accusingly.

"No," Severus replied shortly.

"Why not, little one?" Harry threw in, surprised. "He didn't do anything to you."

"He'stupid," Sevvy said, darkly, climbing up into his child's seat, as dinner popped up on the table.

"He is not stupid, Sevvy, and please remember to behave yourself," Hermione said, firmly, giving the child a warning look. To Harry she added, "He wasn't really his usual self though."

"Wasn't he?" Harry asked in surprise, thinking, _'I didn't notice anything strange.'_

_ In Moaning Myrte's bathroom _

With a slightly apprehensive feeling, Ron turned to Myrte's bathroom, where Voldemort was supposed to be waiting for him after dinner. _'He's not here yet, maybe he's in the Chamber of Secrets,'_ he thought, when all of a sudden, Myrte swept through the bathroom.

"Oh, it's you," she said in a sing-song voice, coming too near for Ron's liking. "Where's my sweet Harry? Can you bring him the next time, please? And who's the one who looks like you and always enters the horror chamber, from where the monster came that killed me?"

"I'll bring Harry some time," Ron said, "and now leave me in peace."

He almost sighed in relief, when the opening to the Chamber moved and his doppelganger stepped out.

"Lord Voldemort," he greeted the other.

"Weasley," Voldemort replied. "Now tell me everything about your friends. What do I need to know, so they'll not notice that I'm not you?"

"Hmmm, Severus doesn't like me, Hermione loves to study, and Harry and Severus are a bit ill at the moment. Other than that..."

"Oh that's great," Voldemort interrupted him quickly. "Then they're not as attentive as usually and not as powerful. Now when and where are you going to meet them next?"

"In class tomorrow morning, provided that Harry and Severus are going to attend classes tomorrow," Ron replied, looking at the other in confusion.

"Nonsense," Voldemort hissed. "I'm not going to kill the boy in front of a whole class. If I'm correctly informed, tomorrow is Severus' second birthday. Just the right time to meet him. Make an appointment with them to visit them in their quarters tomorrow. Now!"

"Oh I'm sorry," Ron replied, hesitantly. "I already told them I'd visit them again tomorrow after the last afternoon class."

"Ahhh, you're not as stupid as you look," Voldemort said, seemingly contented. "Now show me where they live, and tomorrow, you're going to come here as fast as you can after your last afternoon class, and I'm going to visit them pretending to be you."

"All right," Ron agreed, tuning out the voice that spoke up from the back of his head, _'They're your best friends.'_

Voldemort cast invisibility and notice-me-not charms on both of them, and together they left the solace of their secret meeting place, heading out into the halls of Hogwarts.

_ The following day _

At the end of the last afternoon class, Harry turned to Ron. "Are you coming?"

"I forgot Sevvy's birthday present in the dormitory. I'll be there in twenty minutes," Ron hurriedly stammered an excuse and dashed away, remembering that Voldemort had told him he'd prepare an adequate gift for the baby. Five minutes later, he stepped into Myrte's bathroom to take turns with Voldemort.

_ In Hermione's and Harry's quarters _

_'I'd prefer to have some quiet time just with Hermione and Sevvy,'_ Harry mused as he let himself sink into the sofa in the living room, feeling tired and still not completely well.

"Daddy," Severus' voice brought him out of his musings, and the child stretched out his arms to Harry to let himself being picked up.

"Hi birthday boy," Harry said, cuddling the little one close. "How was your birthday so far? Did you get lots of presents from all your aunts and uncles at Hogwarts?"

"Yes, lots of books and a poshun set fwom Aunt Poppy and a funny shawt fwom Aunt Minewa, and..." He slowly trailed off, causing Harry to cast him a questioning look.

Severus' cheeks took on a slightly red colour, and the boy whispered, "I need to go wee-wee."

_'Wow, oh well, maybe he remembers from his first life,'_ Harry thought and quickly led the child to the bathroom, feeling very happy for the child, as he had noticed a few times that Severus seemed to feel uncomfortable getting his nappy changed, especially when it was Hermione who cleaned him.

He had just put back the nappy around Severus' bum in case the child wouldn't notice when he had to go the next time, when Ron arrived.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind reviews. See you again tomorrow..._


	18. 18 December

**Hogwarts - A Homecoming  
Advent's Calendar 201****2****  
by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!_

* * *

**December ****18**

"Now Sevvy, Hermione and I are going to study together with Ron again until dinner," Harry informed the boy in a quiet voice, as they walked out of the bathroom and entered the living room. "Afterwards, Aunt Minerva and Aunt Poppy will come here for your birthday dinner. What are you going to do until then, son?"

"Bwew poshun," Sevvy replied, smiling broadly at his father, before he sat at the other end of the table, busying himself with his potions kit.

"Hi," Harry greeted the red-head and made himself comfortable in front of his books and parchments.

"Hello Harry, hi Severus," Ron greeted the boys and put a small phial in front of the small child. "Happy birthday, Severus. I hope you can use this."

"Tanks. What is it?" Sevvy queried, eyeing the light purple liquid with apparent suspicion.

"I don't know, but the apothecary recommended it for a child who is as adept as potions as you," Ron replied, looking back at the books in front of him.

From the corner of his eyes, Harry observed how Sevvy carefully uncorked the potion and sniffed at it but then put back the cork and set the phial aside. 'I'll ask Aunt Poppy what it is before using it,' he mind thought to Harry, who unobtrusively nodded at the child in appreciation.

"I suggest we do our Transfiguration essay first," Hermione spoke up, sounding very business-like, as she readied her quill and already began to write.

_'Hermione was right. Ron is indeed behaving strangely,'_ Harry mused, as he observed his friend busy himself with his Transfiguration homework. _'He never was as studious before.'_

However, to his surprise, Ron remained very eager, even when they proceeded to do their Charms homework. Harry stared at his friend in surprise and finally blurted out, "Ron, did anyone give you a brain washing? Since when are you as studious as Mione?"

The redhead merely shrugged and looked at the small boy, who was happily stirring a yellow liquid.

All of a sudden, Sevvy's telepathic thoughts accessed Harry's mind.

_'Daddy, something's wrong with Ron. It's the Dark Lord, and he's here to kill me.'_

Harry's hand immediately wandered into his robe pocket, gripping his wand, which was not a second too early, because suddenly Ron pointed his wand at Severus, casting an unforgivable curse.

Harry jumped from his seat, trying to throw himself between Severus and the curse, when the red light suddenly vanished into thin air, as Ron fell from his seat and remained on the floor, unmoving.

"Sowwy," Severus whispered, before he collapsed as well.

"Sevvy," Harry shouted in panic, leaning over his son.

"Harry, what are they doing?" Hermione shrieked, horrified. "Is Sevvy ok?"

"Sevvy's alive, just unconscious," Harry replied, sighing in relief. "The killing curse didn't reach him but stopped mid-way." Pointing over to Ron, he explained, "According to Sevvy, this is not Ron but Voldemort in disguise. That's why he behaved so strangely. Apparently Sevvy killed or at least stunned him and probably collapsed because of depleting his magic."

"Malcolm," Hermione called the Headmistress' house-elf. "Please fetch Professors McGonagall and Pomfrey here immediately."

HP

A few minutes later, the two elder witches hurried into the room, where Hermione was sitting on the sofa with an unconscious Sevvy on her lap, while Harry was pointing his wand at Ron, who was seemingly dead on the floor.

"What happened here?" McGonagall asked, flabbergasted, while Pomfrey waved her wand consecutively over Sevvy and Ron.

"Sevvy has completely depleted his magic and is in a coma," she announced, gravely, "however, Mr. Weasley is dead."

"According to Sevvy, this is Voldemort, and he must have cast the killing curse at him wandlessly and soundlessly," Harry informed the teachers, causing the Healer to wave her wand over the redhead.

"Yes, it's not Mr. Weasley, although he seems to be a doppelganger of him," Pomfrey said, thoughtfully looking at the Headmistress.

"I'm going to call the Aurors," McGonagall announced and hurriedly left, only to return a few minutes later with Auror Shacklebolt in tow.

Motioning Harry and Hermione to accompany her, Pomfrey carried Severus into the nursery and placed him in his bed, before she spelled a potion into the small child's system.

"Will he be all right?" Harry asked, eyeing the Healer in concern.

"When he wakes up from his coma, he will," Pomfrey said, gently stroking the small boy's cheek. "However, I can't tell you when that's going to be. I should take him with me."

"No Professor, please leave him here," Hermione replied, quickly, adding, "We'll do whatever you tell us and take good care of him."

"I know that, Ms. Granger," Pomfrey replied, casting the girl a sad smile. "However, most of the day both of you're in class. Well, if you want to keep him here, I could ask the elves to make a connecting door from Sevvy's room to my office, so that I can look after him when you're not here."

"Oh yes please," Harry agreed immediately, and Hermione nodded her consent.

_ In Moaning Myrte's bathroom _

At the same time, Ronald Weasley was sitting on the floor of the bathroom, impatiently waiting for Voldemort to return. _'Where is he?'_ he wondered._ 'He's only supposed to study with Harry and Hermione until dinner, and dinner in the Great Hall must be long over. He said he has house-elves, who can bring him food, but maybe he should have thought of me. I don't have anyone, and I'm hungry.'_

He was pulled out of his thoughts, when a house-elf popped up in front of him and said, "Mr. Weasley, I is supposed to brings yous to the Headmistress' office." With that he felt himself apparated away.

To his surprise, apart from McGonagall, his parents and Auror Shacklebolt were gathered in the office. _'Oh no, I hope they didn't catch Voldemort looking like me,'_ he thought, inwardly panicking.

"What happened?" he asked, setting up a confused expression.

"That's what we want to ask you," Arthur Weasley replied in a stern voice. "Apparently, a younger version of You-Know-Who, who was your spitting image, was killed in Hermione's and Harry's quarters. How could You-Know-Who come back to life looking exactly like you?"

"No idea," Ron replied, feigning ignorance.

"Mr. Weasley, you better tell us the truth; otherwise we'll have to use Veritaserum," Shacklebolt stated in a firm voice, causing Ron to hesitantly admit everything.

"What is going to happen to me?" he finally asked, anxiously looking from McGonagall to his parents.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for the few but kind reviews for the last chapter. See you tomorrow, provided that my muse complies..._


	19. 19 December

**Hogwarts - A Homecoming  
Advent's Calendar 201****2****  
by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!_

* * *

**December ****19**

"If the Headmistress can't offer another solution, what you did warrants a one-way ticket to Azkaban, after a trial at the Ministry of course," Shacklebolt said, grimly.

McGonagall let out a long sigh, letting her eyes wander over Ron and his parents. She had known the Weasleys for a very long time, and she wouldn't want their son to be transported to Azkaban. "I believe that we should hear Harry's opinion about the events," she said, thoughtfully.

"Thank you, Minerva," Molly Weasley retorted, gratefully. "May we please speak with Harry?"

"I'm afraid not tonight," McGonagall replied, firmly. "Due to Ronald's actions, his two-year-old son is in a coma, and I'm not going to pull Harry from his side tonight. I suggest that we reschedule this meeting for tomorrow after the last afternoon class."

"Very well," Shacklebolt spoke up, "in that case I'm going to take Mr. Weasley with me. He'll spend the night in a Ministry cell."

"Maybe Mr. Weasley could be allowed to return home with his parents for the night?" McGonagall queried, glancing at the Auror, who nodded his agreement.

"Thank you, Minerva, thank you, Mr. Shacklebolt," Molly Weasley said in apparent relief, before she ushered Ron into the fireplace.

_ In Hermione's and Harry's quarters _

As soon as the Weasleys and the Auror had left, McGonagall made her way to Hermione's and Harry's rooms to see if the two seventh years wanted to speak about the matter. Hermione opened the door and led the professor into Harry's room, where they had been cuddling in the enlarged bed with the child lying in the middle.

"No change yet?" she asked kindly.

Hermione and Harry shook their heads. "No professor," Hermione was the first to reply.

"Professor, have you found out what happened to Ron?" Harry queried, looking at the Headmistress in concern.

McGonagall thoughtfully cleared her throat, before she told her students what she had heard from Ronald Weasley earlier.

"He revived Voldemort to have my son killed?" Harry blurted out with a combination of disbelief and anger. "After helping me to kill Voldemort in the first place? And he was supposed to be my best friend?"

"I'm so sorry, Harry," McGonagall said, unobtrusively wiping a tear from her cheek.

"Professor, I don't care what's going to happen to Ron, provided that he swears you a wizard's oath on his life and his magic that he won't harm Sevvy again," Harry told the Headmistress. "But I'm not going to attend the meeting tomorrow, as I want to spend as much time as possible with Sevvy. I don't want to have anything to do with Ron ever again."

"Easy Harry," Hermione said, gently putting her hand on his arm. "Fortunately Sevvy is a natural Legilimens and must have realised the whole matter early enough to save his own and surely also our lives."

"Thank Merlin," Harry agreed. "He's still a hero. I just wished he'd wake up soon."

HP

However, it would take three full months, before the small boy's condition changed. Whenever Harry and Hermione were at home, they cuddled or spoke with the little tyke, hoping that he'd understand or at least realise that they were with him and loved him. During this time, they often spoke about their wedding, which was scheduled for the first day of the winter holidays. They had invited the seventh year students of all Houses except for Ronald Weasley for the day, on which everyone else travelled home with the Hogwarts Express, knowing that any seventh year, who wished to attend their ceremony, would well be able to just apparate home in the evening.

It was on a snowy Sunday in the middle of December, when McGonagall came to visit the three, whom she considered as her children.

"Hermione and Harry, have you made any plans for a honeymoon?" she asked, briskly, causing the two seventh years to gape at her.

"How can we?" Hermione finally asked back, incredulously. "As long as Sevvy's in a coma..." She slowly trailed off, casting Harry a questioning look.

"Exactly," the boy agreed immediately. "And our wedding is next Saturday, so the chance that he'll be awake by then..." He did not finish his sentence, instead let out a long sigh.

McGongall smiled a smile that did not reach her eyes. "I know," she said in a grave voice. However, my colleagues and I thought about something. We'd like to present you with a holiday voucher, just for the three days until Christmas, so that you get the chance to have some time for yourselves. Of course Poppy and I are going to take good care of Sevvy."

Hermione and Harry exchanged a glance, before Hermione replied. "Thank you so much, Professor. We really appreciate your kindness; however, as you know, Sevvy is our son, and he is more important for us than anything else."

"We won't go anywhere without him," Harry added, while he continued to gently caress the child's cheeks.

"By the way, we need a new godmother for him," Hermione continued, smiling, and, seeing the Headmistress cast her a surprised look, explained, "When we're going to get married, I intend to adopt Sevvy and become his mother."

Suddenly, Harry let out a gasp. "See Sevvy," he whispered, staring at the child in awe. "He's smiling."

"Congratulations," McGonagall said, sounding very happy. "Then it won't take long anymore until he'll wake up. "How about Poppy as the second godmother?"

"That's a good idea," Hermione agreed, seeing Harry nod.

"I'll talk to her," McGonagall promised, carefully stroking Severus' black hair, before she took her leave.

_'Let's hope she's right,'_ Harry mused. _'I really want to see him happy and healthy again. Bad enough that Mione doesn't seem her usual, energetic self recently. Hopefully she'll be back to normal when Sevvy wakes up.'_

HP

As the Headmistress had predicted, Sevvy woke up from his coma a few hours later. Harry and Hermione were peacefully asleep with the child in their midst as usual, when a small voice, "Dada, Mama" penetrated their ears.

Both of them were wide awake within instants, letting out a collective "Sevvyyy."

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind comments. More tomorrow..._


	20. 20 December

**Hogwarts - A Homecoming  
Advent's Calendar 201****2****  
by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!_

* * *

**December 20**

"How are you feeling, Sevvy?" Hermione asked in concern, while Harry hurried out of the room to call Pomfrey, after glancing at the time display on the ceiling that showed a little after five o'clock in the morning.

"I'm fine," Severus replied, before he queried, "Is de Dawk Lowd gone?"

"Yes, you vanquished him, my dear," Hermione informed the boy, smiling. "I'm very proud of you, son."

"And Won?"

"He's all right, and he swore a wizard's oath not to harm you anymore," Hermione explained, gently cradling the child close until Harry returned with the Healer in tow.

Pomfrey waved her wand over Severus a few times, before she finally slid it away and smiled at the child, who was still lying in Hermione's arms looking at her from his large, obsidian eyes. "You gave us quite a fright, young man," she said sternly. "Don't do any magic now until I tell you otherwise."

"Kay," Severus agreed, allowing the older witch to take him from Hermione and cuddle with him for a little while.

"He's all right now, but he still needs a lot of rest for another week," Pomfrey said to the students, while she carefully tickled the boy's toes, making him giggle happily.

HP

Just when Harry and Hermione wondered if they were supposed to attend breakfast in the Great Hall with Sevvy, McGonagall came to visit the small family.

"Professor Pomfrey told me the good news," she said, happily smiling at Severus. "I had a longer conversation with her this morning, and we came to the decision to excuse both of you from the remaining classes until the beginning of the holidays." Seeing that Hermione opened her mouth in protest, she raised her hand to stop the girl and continued, "We both have the impression that you both are in dire need of some rest and so is Severus. Believe me, you won't miss much during the last five days of class."

"But Professor," Hermione spoke up, disappointment clearly written in her face, "wouldn't it be all right if Sevvy rested on our lap, while we're in class?"

"Ms. Granger, this was actually Professor Pomfrey's advice, since she noticed that you both look overworked and unwell. However, if you prefer to ask her for a check-up..." She questioningly eyed the Head girl.

"No no, it's all right," Hermione hurried to reply, making Harry look at her in concern.

_'She's not okay,'_ he mused, _'good that Pomfrey realised that something is off with her, although that's no excuse why I have to miss classes.'_

_'When are you going to tell them about the headache that you're having ever since Voldemort visited you that evening?'_ a small voice spoke up from the back of his mind.

_'Ah that's not a big deal,'_ he thought back to quieten the voice. _'Since Voldemort probably cast some dark spell on me, they won't know what to do anyway. The only person who'd be able to help me was an adult Severus.'_

He was brought back to reality, when the Headmistress took her leave.

HP

Hermione, Harry and Sevvy spent the whole day talking, playing and relaxing. The seventh years told the child about their planned wedding and about possibly going on a honeymoon.

"Now that Sevvy's woken up, we should go, Mione," Harry said, excitedly. "I've never been to the seaside except for our small excursion with Sevvy in the summer, and the beach resort that McGonagall was talking about seems like a good place for a short family holiday."

"May I bwew poshun?" Severus suddenly asked, casting a longing look at his potions kit.

"If you're not tired and feel well enough, you may," Hermione replied, giving the child a fond look.

"Of course you may, Sevvy," Harry agreed.

A few minutes later, Severus busied himself looking through his ingredients. "Dada," he asked after a few minutes, "Do you have some asphodew pwease?"

"Asphodel?" Hermione asked, surprised. "What do you need it for?"

"Some poshun," Severus insisted in a firm voice that made the adults understand that he knew what he was doing.

"I don't think we have such a thing," Harry said, thoughtfully. "However, we could call Malcolm and ask him to bring you some from the Potions classroom."

"No, I caww Cicewo," Sevvy disagreed and shouted, "Cicewo".

An instant later, a tall elf popped up in front of the boy. "Master Severus, what cans Cicero do for you?" As soon as the child had instructed him what to bring, adding several more ingredients to his wish list, the elf popped away, only to return a minute later, carrying several small phials.

During the following hour, Hermione and Harry observed with a combination of amusement and concern how the two-year-old busied himself brewing five different potions.

"Sevvy," Harry suddenly addressed the child, "I just want to make sure... Are you sure that you know what you're doing?"

Severus looked up, quirking an eyebrow at his adoptive father. "Yes," he then replied, simply, before he went back to work. After bottling the last potion, he once again called Cicero and handed him the phials along with telepathic instructions.

_'He didn't even tell Cicero what to do with the phials,'_ Harry mused. _'I wonder what he's doing. I just hope it's nothing that'll give us trouble.'_

_ In the Great Hall _

Ron Weasley wolved down his dinner, talking with his twin brothers and his sister Ginny between the bites. Suddenly, he realised in shock that he couldn't speak properly anymore. Instead, all of his words came out as a stutter. _'I'm talking like Professor Quirrell in our first year,'_ he thought, terrified. _'Someone must have played a prank on me.' _He glared at his brothers. "Dididdid you ddddoo thatatat?"

The whole side of the Gryffindor table, where Ron was seating, burst into laughter, while the twins hurried to assure him that they had nothing to do with his predicament.

_ In Hermoine's and Harry's quarters _

When Severus was in bed that evening, insisting to once again sleep in the large bed in Harry's room, Harry was just about to share his concern about the potions with Hermione, when she said, "Harry, I'm going to bed too. I'm tired."

"Mione, are you ill?" Harry asked, worriedly. "You don't look well."

"No my dear, I'm all right," Hermione replied, casting him a weak smile, as she lay down next to Severus.

However, when Harry woke up to Sevvy's whimpering in the very early morning, Hermione dashed out of the room and into the bathroom, from where they could soon hear sounds, which demonstrated that she was not all right at all.

"Come," Severus instructed Harry and hurried out of the room.

_'What?'_ Harry wondered but obediently followed the child, quickly throwing his robes over as he left their quarters, feeling totally confused.

Severus stepped out into the corridor, which was completely laying in the dark.

"Sevvy, where are we going?" he asked in surprise, lighting the hall with the tip of his wand.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind comments. More tomorrow, have a nice evening!_


	21. 21 December

**Hogwarts - A Homecoming  
Advent's Calendar 201****2****  
by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!_

* * *

**December 21**

"Dunshun," Severus replied, raising his hands to let himself being picked up.

"You want to go to the dungeons?" Harry queried, looking at the toddler in disbelief. "Sevvy, do you remember that you lived in the dungeons before?"

"Ye," Severus replied, yawning, and nestled comfortably into his robes.

"Do you remember everything?" he asked but did not get a reply. His thoughts went haywire. _'He really seems to remember at least something. There is no other way that he could know about having lived in the dungeons,'_ he mused as he carried the child to the Potions classroom. "Sevvy, don't fall asleep now," he said aloud, gently caressing his small, soft cheeks.

"Ye," Severus repeated and wriggled his way down to the floor. He hurried further down the dungeons corridor, and just when Harry was about to pick him up and go back, he stopped in front of a door with the portrait of a sleeping wizard. "Wake up," he shouted, knocking his fist against the door.

The wizard lazily opened his eyes that grew bigger upon the sight in front of him. "Little Severus and the golden boy, what do you want?" he growled, causing the toddler to glare at him.

Harry had the strong impression as if he had seen the man in the picture before. "Excuse me, sir, but who are you?" he queried, causing the man to growl.

"Dada, dis is Salazaw Slyderin," Sevvy suplied.

"Yes indeed," the Founder in the portrait replied in a slightly friendlier voice.

"Open," the toddler demanded, uttering "Wiwwi."

"Excuse me?" Salazar queried.

"Wiwwi."

"What do you want?" Salazar repeated, grumpily.

Sevvy cast Harry a pleading look. "De passwowd is youw mama's name, can you pwease..."

'My mother's name?' Harry mouthed in disbelief, sighing when Severus nodded eagerly. "Professor Slytherin, please let us in," he said in a firm voice. "Severus already told you the password. It's 'Lily'."

With that the Founder finally opened the door, and Harry hesitantly followed the child through his former self's quarters. The toddler led him into what seemed to be his private lab. Apparently exactly knowing what he was doing, Severus gathered two phials of a potion and pressed them into Harry's hands.

'Stomach soothing potion' the phials were labelled in the former Professor Snape's elegant hand writing. "Oh maybe that's what Mione needs," Harry blurted out, giving the child an appreciative look.

Severus rolled his eyes, before he queried, "Do we need anyting else?"

Feeling strangely reassured by the fact that the boy seemed to be in the possession of his older self's memories, Harry hesitantly asked, "Would it be possible to take a headache potion with us?"

Sevvy cast him a sharp look. "Of couwse we can do dat, but do you just have a headache witout any odew symtoms and since when?"

"Only headache, and since the day Voldemort visited us," Harry admitted in a small voice, causing the boy to cast him a horrified look.

Severus grabbed several phials of the strongest headache potion, which his older self used to have in stock, and handed them to his father. "Okay, I'm weady," he then said, heading for the door.

_'Today is the last day of classes,'_ Harry mused, when he slowly walked back to their quarters with a sleeping Severus in his arms. _'And tomorrow is our wedding. I can't believe it. Everything seems so unreal. On the other hand, nothing is going to really change, considering that we've already been a family for about six months now.'_

"Where were you?" Hermione greeted them, when Harry entered their quarters. "I was so worried when both of you were suddenly gone."

"I'm so sorry," Harry apologized immediately. "Knowing that you were unwell, Sevvy wanted to get a potion for you from his older self's private lab," he explained, handing his fiancée a phial with the stomach soothing potion. "He seems to have all the memories of his adulthood."

"Oh no," Hermione said, horrified, looking at the sleeping child in shock.

"Yes," Harry replied and downed a headache potion, noticing in relief that the headache receded immediately.

"We need to speak with McGonagall and Pomfrey about his memories," Hermione said in determination. "Maybe he can put them into a Pensieve, at least the worst ones, so that he can grow up without them."

_ In the Great Hall _

Ron Weasley hesitantly eyed his breakfast, still remembering how he had ended up stuttering the whole evening. However, he felt too famished to not eat anything, and finally tucked in with gusto. Only after emptying his third plate of toast with scrambled eggs did he realise that everyone in the Great Hall was observing him, unobtrusively chuckling.

"What's it now?" he whispered to Ginny, who, equally chuckling as the rest of the Gryffindors, pointed out that his hair held a sparkling pink colour.

_'Oh no, I wonder if that's Harry's or Snape's doing,'_ Ron thought, angered, as he dashed from the Great Hall in a rage.

_ In Hermoine's and Harry's quarters _

It was after dinner, when Professor McGonagall visited the small family to enquire if they were ready and prepared for the wedding that was going to take place the following day.

"Yes, we're ready," Hermione replied, smiling at her favourite teacher.

"Professor," Harry spoke up, glancing at Sevvy, who was once again busying himself with his potions kit. "Sevvy has his older self's memories."

The Headmistress stared from Harry to the toddler. "Are you sure?" she finally enquired.

"Yes," Severus confirmed, looking sadly at his godmother.

"Well, that explains something," she said, sighing, glaring at the small child, who returned the view with an extremely innocent expression. To Harry and Hermione, who were looking at her questioningly, McGonagall explained, "Ronald Weasley has been pranked at every meal since last night. Yesterday, he was stuttering, this morning, his hair had a pink colour, after lunchtime, he was singing operas, and tonight he transformed into a baboon. His twin brothers assured me that they were not responsible for the pranks."

_'The five different potions, which Sevvy brewed,'_ Harry realised, inwardly grinning.

"It was me," Sevvy admitted in a small voice. "I'm sowwy, but I had to get back to Won fow what he did. It's only one more poshun fow tomowwow mowning."

"Yes, I think that it serves him right," Harry agreed. "Well done, Sevvy."

"Harry!" Hermione blurted out. "How can you allow a two-year-old to play pranks on people and even comment him on that?"

"Well, you can't say that Sevvy is exactly a two-year-old," Harry replied, in a quieter voice.

McGonagall let out a long sigh. "I must say I can understand Sevvy, and I'm impressed at how well he can brew at his age, independent of his memories."

Sevvy smiled and climbed on his godmother's lap, where he tiredly nestled into her robes. He closed his eyes, a small thumb wandered into his mouth, and soon his breathing evened out, causing the adults to smile.

"He's so cute," Hermione said, slowly.

"That he is," McGonagall agreed immediately. "Adorable."

_'Thank Merlin Sevvy's asleep, or he'd kill them, considering that his mind is that of his older self,'_ Harry mused. _'Although when he's tired or unwell, it seems to change to that of a real two-year-old.'_

_tbc..._

_Thank you for reviewing yesterday's chapter. More tomorrow (I hope; my muse is very lazy right now)._


	22. 22 December

**Hogwarts - A Homecoming  
Advent's Calendar 201****2****  
by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!_

* * *

**December 22**

Severus was sitting between his godmothers at the Head table, impatiently waiting for his parents to enter the Great Hall. _'I hope no one is going to walk in front of them, so that I don't miss them,'_ he mused, tuning out the voices of the teachers who were fawning over him.

HP

Hermione slowly walked next to Harry through the empty halls of the castle. _'Thank Merlin Sevvy's potion helps so much,'_ she thought. _'Otherwise I wouldn't be able to even participate in the ceremony. When this is all over, I'm going to see Pomfrey.'_

HP

_'She's adorable,'_ Harry thought, secretly admiring Hermione in her white dress robes, which McGonagall had helped her to choose. _'Today's the happiest day in my life.'_

He was pulled out of his thoughts, when they reached the Great Hall, where Ginny and George Weasley were waiting for them.

"All right then, shall we go?" George asked, grinning as he walked next to Hermione, while Ginny accompanied Harry into the Hall, unaware of the fact that Ghost Fred was following them closely.

Huge applause greeted the couple and their best man and maid. However, it was replaced by an instant of absolute quiet, when all of a sudden the groom changed into a life size black teddy bear and the bride into a fitting white teddy bear. The silence only lasted for an instant, before it was replaced by a collective, "Awww, how cute."

_'What happened?'_ Harry wondered, forcing himself not to look at Hermione but walk straight on to the front of the Great Hall, where the new Minister of Magic, Arthur Weasley, was waiting for them to begin with the ceremony.

HP

_'Hehe, I did it,'_ Sevvy thought, happily looking at his parents' teddy bear forms. However, suddenly, he felt tired by the wandless magic that he had performed, and also his parents looked so cuddly that he wanted nothing more than to go and cuddle with his mama and dada. In fact, Hermione and Harry had wanted him to walk in front of them and be with them the whole time; however, Sevvy disliked attention, of which he received more than enough anyway, and had decided to watch from his position at the Head table together with his godmothers. Now, however, the situation was different, and he quickly climbed down from his chair, and before any of the teachers noticed what he was doing, he hurried to his parents, transforming into a small, green teddy bear as he went.

Another "Awww" could be heard as he came to stand between his parents, right in front of the Minister.

Severus tuned out the Minister's monologue, finding it extremely boring. It was much more interesting to think about new pranks, which he could perform to anger Ronald Weasley. _'He is going to pay for what he wanted to do to Harry and myself,'_ he swore to himself, leaning into Hermione's thick teddy bear fur. Only when Mr. Weasley began to query if Hermione wanted to take Harry as her groom, he turned his attention back to the ceremony.

"Yes," Hermione replied in a firm voice, and Harry responded equally affirmatively, when the Minister asked him.

_'Now I really have two parents,'_ Severus thought, feeling very happy, as he absentmindedly observed his parents exchanged their wedding rings, which they were unable to put over their bear paws_. 'I only have to get rid of a huge lot of memories, before I can really enjoy my childhood,'_ he mused.

He was pulled out of his thoughts, when the Headmistress stepped next to the Minister and changed Hermione and Harry back to their usual, human forms, so that they could wear their wedding rings. Giving his godmother a small pout, Sevvy transformed back into a small boy as well.

Suddenly, a voice caught his attention. "Sevvy," Ghost Fred whispered, only for Sevvy to hear, "can you tell me when Ron's house-elf form is going to wear off?"

Severus smirked. The last potion, which Cicero had administered into the boy's food at breakfast, had been his most evil revenge so far. "At the Welcome Feast when school begins again," he whispered back.

"All right, that's okay, little one," Fred replied, grinning. "He really deserves it if not much worse."

Severus nodded solemnly, before the two wizards' conversation ended, when Hermione pulled him into a bear's hug. "Now you're also legally my son," she told him, when she released him and lowered herself to his height.

"Congrats Mione and Sevvy," Harry threw in, smiling at his wife and son. "Now Sevvy, come with me for a moment. I'd like to introduce someone to you," he then said, unexpectedly.

Severus curiously followed his father through the Great Hall, where smaller tables had replaced the large House tables, to a spot near the Head table. To his surprise, he saw a child that had to be about the same age as himself sitting at the table. _'Oh, that must be Lupin's and Tonks' boy,'_ he thought. _'I completely forgot that he existed.'_

"Sevvy, this is my god child Teddy. Teddy, this is my son Sevvy," Harry introduced the toddlers to each other, suggesting to his godson's grandmother, who was responsible for the child that had lost both parents in the war, that Teddy could come and visit Sevvy once after Christmas. "I'm sorry that I didn't invite Teddy earlier, but there were just so many things that came into the way after the end of the war..." He slowly trailed off, casting Andromeda Tonks an apologetic look.

"Don't worry, Harry dear, I fully understand," the older witch replied gently. "I'll contact you right after Christmas."

"Thank you," Harry said, before the Headmistress pulled him and Sevvy away.

"Harry, you should come and open your presents," McGonagall told him, leading him to a table next to the Head table, on which colourful presents were piled high. "And what are you going to do about your honeymoon?"

Harry exchanged a glance with Hermione, before he replied, "Professor, we'd like to accept your gift and go on our honeymoon; however, we have a few errands to run, before we can leave.

After the newlywed had opened the large pile of gifts and everyone had enjoyed the huge buffet, which the Hogwarts elves had prepared, Harry pulled Hermione aside.

"I think our guests will be able to entertain themselves now. But are you feeling well enough to travel?" Harry asked, eyeing his wife in concern.

"I think I'm okay, but I'll go and ask Professor Pomfrey if she could quickly check on me before we go," Hermione replied, thoughtfully. Noticing Harry's worried look, she added, "I think I know what it is, and it'll be all right, sweetheart."

"Okay," Harry agreed and turned to Severus. "Sevvy, would you like to get rid of your worst memories, before we leave?"

Severus looked at his father in apparent surprise. "Oh yes, I'd like that," he admitted, without even thinking about the matter.

"Are you feeling well and strong enough to do so?" Harry queried, giving the small child a sharp look.

"Yes," Sevvy replied firmly.

Together with Sevvy's godmothers, the small family unobtrusively left the Great Hall, where their wedding party was still continuing. While Hermione followed the Healer to the hospital wing, Harry and Sevvy accompanied the Headmistress into her office. McGonagall took Severus onto her lap, while Harry pointed his wand to the child's temples, motioning him to think of his worst memories. During the next hour, most of Severus' worst memories were transferred into the Pensieve.

"That better now?" Harry asked kindly, noticing that Sevvy looked much happier than before.

"Yes," Sevvy replied, tiredly leaning into his godmother's robes. He had just drifted off to sleep, when Hermione entered the room.

"Are you all right, Mione?" Harry asked in concern but relaxed, when his wife nodded shortly.

"Shall we go?" she asked, questioningly looking from her husband to the Headmistress.

McGonagall smiled and leaned down, pulling an inflatable heart from under her desk. "As soon as you're ready, I'll activate it for you," she explained. "On Monday morning at 10 o'clock it will automatically activate to bring you back here. Are you ready?"

"We need to pack some things first," Harry spoke up, seeing that Hermione took their son from the professor, readying him to touch the heart.

"I did that already," Hermione replied, rolling her eyes as she pointed to one of her robe pockets.

Two minutes later, they felt a well-known pull behind their navels, as McGonagall activated the Portkey.

_tbc..._

_Thank you so much for your kind comments! Have a nice weekend.. see you tomorrow!_


	23. 23 December

**Hogwarts - A Homecoming  
Advent's Calendar 201****2****  
by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!_

* * *

**December 23**

When the world stopped spinning around, Hermione, Harry and Sevvy curiously inspected their surroundings. They found themselves on a beach, and it was warm like in summer. _'Oh that's what makes out a magical resort,'_ Harry thought. _'It's agreeably temperated.'_

Many people were enjoying themselves on the beach and in the emerald green water.

"Wow dat's big," Sevvy said, having woken up by their Portkey travel, and pointed to a huge Christmas tree that was occupying the centre of the beach right in front of the nearby building.

"Yes Sevvy, it's a gorgeous Christmas tree," Hermione said, smiling. "Shall we go inside the hotel and check in?"

"Let's do that and then come back to take a closer look at the Christmas tree," Harry agreed, taking Sevvy by the hand.

A few minutes later, the small family entered their hotel room, which in fact was not a room but a special honeymoon suite with two connecting bedrooms and a large balcony going out to the beach. It was close to the enormous Christmas tree.

"This place is gorgeous," Hermione said, amazed, as she stepped out onto the balcony.

"It is, my dear," Harry agreed and stood next to her, carefully lying his arm around her back.

_'But I don't like how the tree is decorated,'_ Severus thought and unobtrusively pulled Harry's wand out of his robe pocket, seeing that his parents were fully concentrated on kissing each other. With a small smile playing on his lips, he pointed the wand at the Christmas tree, knowing that it would be far less strenuous for his small body than casting the intended spells with wandless magic. An instant later, all of the baubles that had been decorating the tree were changed into bubbling cauldrons. With another wand wave, he added ingredients, which he charmed to fly into the cauldrons, make them explode and getting thrown out again. Smiling contentedly, Severus returned the wand to its owner's robe pocket, before he tiredly leaned against his parents.

Hermione and Harry smiled down at the little tyke. "Now Sevvy, shall we go out to the beach?" Hermione asked gently.

_'Thank Merlin they didn't look at the tree yet,'_ Sevvy mused, as he cast his mother a happy smile. _'They'd know immediately that it was me.'_

HP

The small family spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach. Remembering that Harry had promised to look at the Christmas tree, Severus ran towards the edge of the water, as soon as they arrived on the beach, efficiently distracting his parents from the object of attention.

"Sevvy, be careful," Harry reprimanded him sternly, taking Sevvy's hand into his own. "Even if you think you know what you're doing, you must remember that you're in fact only two years old and don't have the body and the power of an adult."

"Yes sir," Sevvy replied, grumpily, before his expression changed to a small smile, when he asked, "May I walk in the shallow water for a bit?"

"We'll go together," Harry decided, and the two wizards went for a walk, while Hermione made herself comfortable in an extremely comfortable family-size beach chair, not far from the edge of the water.

When Harry and Severus returned from their excursion, the small boy sat next to his mother, tiredly leaning into her robes, until Harry suggested to build a sand castle.

"Let's see if we can build Hogwarts," Harry suggested, giving Sevvy a questioning look.

Not wanting his father to become suspicious why he would be tired only after a small walk, Sevvy feigned enthusiasm and helped Harry to build a miniature version of Hogwarts, smiling when Hermione woke up and commended them greatly.

"You did a great job," she said, smiling, before she glanced at her wrist watch and asked in disbelief, "Did none of you notice that everyone else is gone? We're just about to miss dinner."

Severus glanced around. Indeed, the three of them were the only ones remaining on the beach.

"Oh sorry, my dear, but we were so engrossed in our work," Harry replied, apologetically. "Let's go inside; I'm sure we'll still be able to get something to eat."

The small family hurried inside the hotel, where a huge buffet was prepared for the guests. Harry first helped Sevvy to fill his plate, before he once more returned to the buffet alone. Suddenly, he heard someone say something that made him look at his son in shock.

"I wonder what happened to the Christmas tree," an older witch said to another. "All the beautiful baubles are gone, and it's full of cauldrons and herbs. So ugly. But so far no one has managed to change it back. Someone very powerful must have played this bad prank on us."

Not wanting anyone to overhear their conversation, Harry waited until they were back to their rooms, before he addressed Severus. "Sevvy, do you know by chance how the Christmas tree's decoration changed to one, which a Potions Master would especially enjoy?"

Sevvy returned an innocent look and replied, "Yes, I weally like it."

Hermione let out a snort and headed over to the balcony to get a close look at the tree. "Oh Merlin, is that your doing?" she blurted out, inefficiently trying to hide her amusement.

"Yes," Severus finally admitted in a small voice.

"Don't misunderstand me, Sevvy," Harry said, carefully; "you did that very well; however, you can't just play pranks everywhere and on everyone. You're almost worse than the Weasley twins."

"Am not!" Severus replied, pouting.

"Yes, you are," Hermione threw in, sternly, glaring at the child. "Sometimes, it's fun, but not always, and I definitely don't want my son known as the biggest prankster that Hogwarts has ever seen."

"Exactly," Harry agreed. "So at least until the end of the winter holidays I don't want you to do anymore pranks. Do you understand me?"

"Yes," Sevvy replied, adding a small, "sowwy Mummy 'n Daddy."

"It's all right, sweetie," Hermione said, gently, pulling the small boy into a hug.

_'Well, let's see,'_ Harry thought, looking at the tree. "How's that?" he asked, a few minutes later.

Hermione and Sevvy looked at the tree. The bubbling cauldrons were still there; however, many cute animals like griffins, hippogriffs and magical cats had been added, and the animals were playfully throwing sparkling golden stars at each other.

"Aww Harry, it's beautiful," Hermione said, amazed. "Well done, my dear."

"I like the amals," Sevvy agreed, letting out a huge yawn that caused his parents to remember that it was well over his bed time already.

HP

A few hours later, like many other witches and wizards in the resort who were still walking around the beach, Hermione and Harry were sitting on their balcony, admiring the gorgeous Christmas tree. Sevvy was peacefully asleep in his bed.

"It's almost midnight," Hermione said quietly. "It was an awesome wedding day, wasn't it?"

"Yes, and it's beautiful here, especially being here with you and our son," Harry replied slowly, feeling happier than he had ever felt before. "Are you happy, Mione?" he suddenly asked.

"Harry, there is something I need to tell you," Hermione replied and hesitantly pulled a small parchment out of her robe pocket, handing it to her husband.

_tbc..__._

_A huge thanks to those who regularly comment on the chapters. You have no idea how much I appreciate your kind support! See you tomorrow_


	24. 24 December

**Hogwarts - A Homecoming  
Advent's Calendar 201****2****  
by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!_

* * *

**December 24**

Harry stared at the parchment. Actually, it was a photo, but he had no idea what it was displaying. "What is it?" he asked in confusion, causing Hermione to chuckle.

"This here," she replied, pointing to a black dot in the middle of the photo, "is your daughter. If you know what it is, you can see a small arm here and a leg here. I'm pregnant."

"Really?" Harry blurted out in surprise.

"Yes really," Hermione replied, rolling her eyes. "It's a picture from the magical ultrasound that Pomfrey took earlier. On the ultrasound, I could see it a bit more detailed, and Poppy suggested that I bring you to look at it. I just hope Sevvy will take it well and not think that we we'll love him less or something because of the baby."

"He's very sensitive," Harry agreed, "that's true. But we just have to show him how much we love him."

"That we'll do," Hermione replied, smiling, "and maybe he'll be happy if we ask him to help us with the baby."

HP

The small family spent another relaxing day on the beach, admiring the large Christmas tree, which still held the cauldrons and animals, before the Portkey took them back to Hogwarts on Monday morning.

When they arrived in their own quarters, Hermione took Sevvy aside. "Today is Christmas Eve, sweetie, and I promised to help Aunt Minerva decorating the Christmas tree in the Great Hall. Do you want to come and assist?"

"Yesss," Sevvy shouted in excitement.

"Very well," Harry said, rolling his eyes in annoyance and foreboding at his son's enthusiasm. "Before we head there, your mother and I'd like to tell you something though. Let's sit down for a moment."

Sevvy rushed to sit next to Hermione on the sofa, looking at Harry in expectation.

Hermione cleared her throat and, when Harry took the seat opposite of them, began, "Sevvy, next summer, you're going to become a big brother."

Obsidian eyes stared at her for a moment, before Sevvy turned his view to his father.

"I'm sure it's going to be cool to be an older brother," Harry said, smiling at the boy, whose expression remained unreadable. "Especially as soon as your baby sister has grown a bit, you'll always have someone to play with."

"Will the baby be my weal sister?" Severus enquired, sounding anxious.

"Of course, little one," Harry replied, smiling, "and I hope you're going to help us with the baby."

"Of couwse," Sevvy promised, his expression brightening greatly.

"In fact, there is already something, which we'd like you to help with," Hermione threw in, slowly. "Would you like to think of a nice name for your sister?"

Sevvy remained thoughtful for less than a minute, before he replied, "Wiwwi."

"Vivi?" Hermione asked, looking questioningly at the child.

"I think he means 'Lily', my mother's name," Harry explained. "Is that correct, Sevvy?"

"Yes," Severus agreed, smiling.

Seeing Harry smile at the boy in apparent understanding, Hermione commended him, "That's a wonderful name for your baby sister, Sevvy. What do you think, Harry?"

"Yes, I'd like that," Harry agreed immediately, causing Severus to blush.

"Now can we go decowate Chwismas twee?" Sevvy asked.

"All right, let's go," Hermione said, smiling, and the small family made their way to the Great Hall, where the other professors had just begun to decorate the Christmas tree.

"Sevvy, remember what we told you about playing pranks," Harry said sternly. "Not everyone is very fond of cauldrons. You may put one bubbling cauldron on the tree but only one."

"Kay," Severus promised, before he queried, "and five ingwediens?"

"All right," Harry agreed, playfully ruffling the child's hair. "Go on then, son."

HP

When the small family entered the Great Hall, Sevvy had to endure hugs and questions from all his aunts and godmothers, before he could finally turn to the tree, noticing happily that it was still completely undecorated.

_'All right, one cauldron and five ingredients,'_ he thought, assessing the tree. "Daddy, may I use your wand?" he whispered, casting Harry a pleading look.

Looking at the child in surprise, Harry handed over his wand, "If you're sure that it'll work for you."

"Yes, it does; thank you Dad," Sevvy replied, before he concentrated on the task ahead.

"What's he up to now?" Hermione whispered to her husband, unsure what to think of Sevvy's mischievous grin.

Before anyone realised what happened, the large tree was standing in an over-sized cauldron, where a liquid in a matching colour was bubbling wildly. Moreover, from the edges of the star that was decorating the tip of the tree, five colourful herbs emerged that flew downwards into the cauldron and caused its content to explode, sending bright sparkles back to the star. As soon as everything had calmed down, the process repeated itself.

"Sevvy!" Hermione and Harry groaned, simultaneously.

"Only one caudwon and five hewb," Severus replied dryly, returning his father's wand with an innocent smile on his face.

"Thanks," Harry whispered, unobtrusively casting a spell at the tree to make sure that it was stabilized in its new standing.

"Very well done, Sevvy," the Headmistress commended the child, causing all the other teachers to agree.

"It's beautiful," Pomfrey said, warmly. "I like it."

HP

When the teachers and students, who had remained at Hogwarts over Christmas, were finished decorating the tree, everyone had lunch together. However, seeing that Sevvy was about to sleep in his meal, Hermione and Harry decided to return to their rooms very soon.

"Tomorrow, we're going to have a snowman building contest," McGonagall announced, before the small family left the Great Hall, causing the students to nod their agreement.

"Sevvy, shall we build something together?" Harry asked, as he picked Severus up to give him a piggy-ride home.

"Yes, I know what we can build," Sevvy replied, grinning.

_tbc..._

_Thanks to the kind readers for their reviews. See you tomorrow (if my muse complies.. she is on strike today). Merry Christmas to you all!_


	25. 25 December

**Hogwarts - A Homecoming  
Advent's Calendar 201****2****  
by Healer Pomfrey**

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!_

* * *

**December 25**

It was only five o'clock in the morning, when Sevvy scrambled into his parents' bed and asked excitedly, "Can we build the snowman now?"

Hermione inwardly groaned, glancing at the time display at the ceiling. "No Sevvy, come, lie down and sleep for a little more," she sleepily instructed the boy, cuddling the child close.

Harry merely cast his wife and son a bleary look and turned around, continuing to sleep, until Sevvy woke up again two hours later.

HP

The small family attended breakfast in the Great Hall, where huge piles of presents were placed around the tree stand turned cauldron under the Christmas tree.

"Sevvy, you have to eat a bit more, before you may go and look for your presents," Pomfrey instructed the child, noticing that he barely ate anything, as his eyes kept wandering off to the tree.

Finally, everyone was finished with dinner, and Sevvy dashed away, soon returning happily, carrying a heavy present with his name on it.

"Oh noo," Hermione groaned upon seeing the sender, _'WWW.'_

Sevvy tore off the wrapping, revealing an old tome. "Wow," he blurted out in amazement, showing the book to his parents.

_"The Tomfoolery Almanach,"_ Harry read aloud, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "Just what he needed," he mumbled, causing everyone to laugh at his exasperated expression.

'Dad, don't scold the Weasley twins,' Sevvy suddenly thought to him. 'This book his very old and rare, and it must have cost them a fortune to lay their hands on it. I'm really happy about it, and don't worry; I'll use it wisely.'

Harry looked at the child in surprise; however, the two-year-old merely returned an unobtrusive nod, before he jumped up from his chair to look for the next present.

Severus received books and toys from all the teachers, and it took him a whole hour to unwrap everything. Finally, McGonagall handed him a wooden box, which had small holes here and there.

Getting very excited, Sevvy opened the box, revealing a kitten. It was completely white, only the paws and the tip of its tail were black, and everyone let out a collective "Awww" at its sight. Shouting a happy "Thank you" in the direction of Minerva, Severus carefully took the cat out of the box, cuddling it close. "Hello Loki," he then said, "I'm Sevvy."

Harry observed the boy in surprise. _'I didn't know that he liked cats,'_ he thought. _'I'm very happy for him though, and it's a real cutie.'_

Severus grinned, as he telepathically relayed to his father, 'Loki was the ancient god of mischief.'

HP

"Very well then, shall we head outside for our snowman contest?" McGonagall suggested.

Animatedly talking and chuckling, the whole group went out onto the grounds, apart from Loki, whom Cicero took with him to care for the kitten until their return.

"Sevvy, what are we going to build?" Hermione enquired, curiously eying the child.

"Let me guess," Harry spoke up, grinning. "Are you going to build your little sister?"

Severus looked up in apparent shock. "I want to build a cat," he then replied.

"All right," his parents agreed and helped the boy build his cat that looked like Professor McGonagall's Animagus form.

Even if Severus was wide awake and well and therefore could rely on his adult self's mind so that he knew exactly what he wanted to do, his body was that of a two-year-old and couldn't keep up with his expectations. However, after an hour of intense work, the three were contented with their work and returned to the Great Hall to warm up with a cup of tea.

It took another hour, before everyone was back inside, and Professors Pomfrey and Flitwick, who were the jury for the contest, headed out into the snow and examine the participants' work.

"Let's go with them and take a look at the other snowmen," Hermione suggested, and Harry readily agreed.

However, all of a sudden, Sevvy had vanished from the spot. Everyone searched the Great Hall for the child to no avail. Only when Hermione announced that she was going to return to their quarters to look for the boy, McGonagall suddenly let out a gasp, pointing to the fireplace.

"Oh Loki is there, sleeping in front of the fireplace together with another cat," Harry pointed out to his wife, "but where's Sevvy?"

McGonagall let out a long sigh. "I'm sorry, Harry, Hermione," she apologized. "I completely forgot to tell you that, mainly probably because I didn't think that he was capable of transforming at his age, but Sevvy's a magical lynx Animagus."

"Sevvy, is that you?" Hermione queried, staring at the black cat.

The lynx lazily stretched his arms and legs, before he slowly nodded his head.

"Well, Sevvy, you better transform back and join us," Harry informed him, seeing that the jury just returned to the Head table.

Everyone including Sevvy in his human form took their seats again, and Pomfrey and Flitwick announced the result. They awarded the third prize, containing of a five Galleon voucher from Honeydukes, to two Slytherin second years for their attempt to build a miniature potions lab, and the second prize, a five Galleon voucher from WWW to three Hufflepuff third years for a life size statue of their Head of House.

Finally, Pomfrey said, "and the first prize, a ten Galleon voucher from WWW, goes to Sevvy Snape and his parents for a perfect image of Professor McGonagall's Animagus form. Congratulation, Sevvy."

"Thank you, Aunt Poppy," Sevvy replied, happily accepting the voucher. "But that wasn't Minewva's Animagus fowm but that of my baby sista, cause I'm going to teach hea to become a cat Animagus."

While everyone excitedly discussed his announcement of the soon to be expected youngest resident of Hogwarts, Sevvy climbed on Harry's lap, tiredly leaning into his robes. _'That was my bested Christmas ever,'_ he thought, happily, as he drifted off to sleep with a smile playing on his lips.

**The End**

_Thank you all so much for your continuous support throughout this story. __As announced earlier, this story is dedicated to my friend Faye._

Merry Christmas to you all! 


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